Late on Sunday night (August 31), a powerful shallow earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 struck near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the eastern part of Afghanistan. The earthquake had a shallow depth of only 8 kilometers, with continuous aftershocks. Taliban officials stated that the earthquake has so far resulted in at least 250 deaths and over 500 injuries.
Due to the earthquake occurring late at night, many people were unable to evacuate in time, and the casualty numbers may continue to rise.
According to data released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake occurred at 11:47 pm local time, with the epicenter located approximately 27 kilometers (16.77 miles) northeast of Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
The USGS indicated that nearly 500,000 people may have felt strong or severe shaking, potentially causing significant damage to unstable structures. The agency mentioned that about 20 minutes after the main earthquake, there was a 4.5 magnitude aftershock followed by a 5.2 magnitude aftershock, with both aftershocks having a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles).
The USGS’s PAGER system issued an orange alert for this earthquake, predicting potential economic losses and casualties. The system stated, “Significant casualties are likely, and the disaster may have a wide impact. Previous events with this level of alert have required regional or national response measures.”
The agency’s models estimated that this earthquake could result in hundreds of deaths.
Ahmad Zameer, a 41-year-old resident of Kabul, stated to CNN that the earthquake was very strong, causing intense shaking in his community even though it was over 100 miles away from the epicenter. He added that residents of nearby apartments rushed to the streets out of fear of being trapped indoors.
Afghanistan sits along multiple fault lines where the Indian Plate meets the Eurasian Plate, making it prone to earthquakes. The mountainous terrain in the eastern region also increases the risk of landslides, complicating emergency rescue efforts.
The Taliban has initiated emergency rescue operations and has requested assistance from international organizations.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, mentioned that due to the earthquake striking remote mountainous areas, “it will take some time to obtain accurate information about casualties and infrastructure damage.” He added, “We have launched a large-scale rescue operation and mobilized hundreds of people to assist the affected communities.”
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban government, stated on the social media platform X that tonight’s earthquake has caused casualties and property damage in several eastern provinces of Afghanistan.
Mujahid added, “Local officials and residents are currently working tirelessly to rescue the affected people. Support teams from the capital and neighboring provinces are also rushing to the disaster areas. All available resources will be dedicated to rescue and relief efforts.”
The Department of Health in Nangarhar Province initially reported at least 9 deaths and 25 injuries from the earthquake.
Afghanistan previously experienced a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 in October 2023, followed by powerful aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people died, making it the deadliest earthquake disaster in recent years in the country.
(This article references reports from CNN, the Associated Press, and NBC)