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Afghanistan earthquake: Rescuers struggle to reach survivors

Dmytro Hubenko with AFP, Reuters
September 3, 2025

As access to Afghanistan's earthquake-ravaged areas is still obstructed, the government sent commandos by air to rescue survivors from the rubble.

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A Taliban military helicopter carries medical and food supplies for the victims of a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Sunday, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, Afghanistan
Taliban authorities are using helicopters to transport medical and food supplies and to drop rescuersImage: Sayed Hassib/REUTERS

Days after a powerful earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, rescue teams struggled to reach survivors as Wednesday night approached.

Dozens of commandos were airdropped at sites where helicopters could not land to help carry the injured to safety.

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan around midnight on Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families as they slept.

According to the latest toll from Taliban authorities, the earthquake killed 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700. The vast majority of the casualties, more than 1,450, were in Kunar province.

Race against time

On Tuesday evening, a second earthquake, measuring 5.5 in magnitude, struck, causing panic and interrupting rescue efforts.

Aftershocks caused rockfalls, hindering access to already isolated villages and forcing families to remain outdoors for fear that the remains of their damaged homes would collapse on them.

Save the Children, a non-governmental organization, said one of its aid teams "had to walk for 20 kilometres (12 miles) to reach villages cut off by rockfalls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members."

According to ActionAid, more than 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake. The organization notes that women and girls are particularly vulnerable in emergencies because they face steep restrictions under the Taliban authorities.

Afghanistan rocked by aftershock as death toll hits 1,400

UN warns of possible food shortage

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday that it only has enough funding and supplies to last four more weeks.

"Four weeks is just not enough even to meet the basic, essential needs of the population struck by the earthquake, let alone put the victims on a path back to rebuilding their lives," John Aylieff, the head of WFP in Afghanistan, told Reuters.

According to UN financial data, WFP funding for Afghanistan this year is just under $300 million, down from $1.7 billion in 2022, the first full year the country was ruled by the Taliban.

The UN says that 64% of the 41.5 million people in Afghanistan live in poverty. Of those, 50% depend on humanitarian aid for survival, and 14% suffer from acute hunger.

Edited by: Farah Bahgat

Dmytro Hubenko Dmytro covers stories in DW's newsroom from around the world with a particular focus on Ukraine.