Hundreds killed after 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Afghanistan
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People on Monday receive treatment at a Jalalabad hospital for injuries sustained in an earthquake in Afghanistan the previous day. Photo: Aimal ZahirA/AFP via Getty Images
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan on Sunday night, killing more than 800 people, wounding over 2,800 others and causing significant damage to villages in the mountainous region, Taliban officials said.
The big picture: The quake struck at 11:47pm local time some 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, with a depth of about six miles, per the U.S. Geological Survey.
What they're saying: "Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people," per an X post from Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the ruling Taliban, according to an auto translation.
- "Support teams from the center and nearby provinces are also on their way, and all available resources will be utilized to save lives."
Situation report: Afghans have been embroiled in a humanitarian crisis since the 2021 Taliban takeover that saw U.S. troops pull out of the country.
- Over 9.5 million Afghans (21% of the population) "are expected to experience crisis levels of food insecurity and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, driven by climatic shocks and high food prices, and exacerbated by funding cuts" by October, per an August report from the UN's ReliefWeb.
Flashback: More than 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of others injured when a powerful quake struck southeastern Afghanistan in 2022.
Go deeper: Deadly Afghanistan quake hits nation already reeling from economic, hunger crises
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
