At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake...

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than $3 per week View Profile The Explainer Talking Points The Week Recommends Newsletters From the Magazine The Week Junior Food & Drink Personal Finance All Categories Newsletter sign up Environment At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquake A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan Newsletter sign up 'There is death in every home, and beneath the rubble of each roof, there are dead bodies' (Image credit: Wakil Kohsar / AFP via Getty Images) Peter Weber, The Week US 2 September 2025 What happened More than 800 people were killed and at least 2,800 injured after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit mountainous eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, the country's Taliban-led government said Monday. Most of the casualties were in Kunar province, and rescue efforts were hindered by blocked roads to remote villages. The shallow quake's epicenter was about 17 miles from Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan. Who said what "There is death in every home, and beneath the rubble of each roof, there are dead bodies," Muhammad Aziz, a laborer from Kunar's hard-hit Nur Gul district, told The Guardian. This was Afghanistan's "third major deadly quake since the Taliban took over in 2021," Reuters said. Sunday's earthquake is "likely to dwarf the scale of the humanitarian needs" caused by a 2023 earthquake that killed at least 1,000 people, the International Rescue Committee said. A temblor in 2022 had a similar death toll. This latest disaster struck as Afghanistan "has been battling a series of overlapping humanitarian, economic and geopolitical crises," The New York Times said. "Hundreds of hospitals and health care centers have shut down since the Trump administration suspended U.S. foreign aid this spring," and Pakistan and Iran have forcibly returned more than 2 million Afghan refugees this year. Afghanistan's government and international aid groups said the death toll was likely to rise — probably to double or triple the current estimates, according to the United Nations humanitarian affairs office. "There is a small window — up to 72 hours — to rescue those trapped under the rubble still alive," The Wall Street Journal said. Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Peter Weber, The Week US Social Links Navigation Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University. 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