Afghanistan’s southeastern provinces were shaken once again as a powerful earthquake struck late last night, the third major quake to hit the region in just four days. The repeated tremors have left entire communities traumatized, with mounting casualties and widespread destruction.
According to the German Research Center for Geosciences, the latest quake measured 6.2 in magnitude. Its epicenter was recorded in the Shiwa district, near the Pakistan border, at a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles). Early reports suggest that Barkash Kot was among the hardest-hit areas, though details are still being gathered from remote villages.
The provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar remain the most devastated, with thousands of homes reduced to rubble. Taliban officials confirmed that the three earthquakes over the past four days have killed at least 2,205 people and left more than 3,640 injured.
Rescue teams are working relentlessly, pulling bodies and survivors from collapsed buildings. On Thursday, aid workers recovered dozens of bodies from beneath the debris, while thousands of displaced families are enduring harsh conditions under the open sky with little shelter.
The United Nations and other international aid agencies have sounded the alarm, warning of dwindling supplies of food, medicine, and temporary shelter. Limited access to remote mountainous areas is further complicating relief operations, putting the lives of thousands at grave risk.
The first earthquake, which struck on Sunday with a magnitude of 6.0, is already being described as one of Afghanistan’s deadliest in recent years, particularly in Kunar and Nangarhar. A second quake measuring 5.5 followed on Tuesday, disrupting rescue operations and triggering rockfalls that cut off access to several rural areas.
