Another Quake Rocks Afghanistan: Taliban Pleads for Help After Death Toll Tops 1400

Eastern Afghanistan was rattled by yet another earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale. The second earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, was close to the area where the first quake had killed over 1,400 people, a report by the US Geological Survey said.

The epicenter of the quake was located at 34 kms northeast of Jalalabad in the province of Nangarhar.

Afghanistan ranks among the poorest countries of the world, and this has severely impacted its ability to launch rescue operations after natural disasters. Moreover, many of the global powers have stopped granting aid to Afghanistan after Taliban started to rule the country again in 2021.

Second Earthquake Hits Afghanistan 

Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of Taliban said that at least 1,411 people have been killed in Kunar while around 3,124 were reportedly injured. Reports further said that Kunar is the worst-hit region. Moreover, 12 people were killed and more than hundred were injured.

The UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, warned that the quake could affect “hundreds of thousands” of people.

Rescue teams worked through the night in Kunar, where over 5,400 houses were destroyed, according to government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. He added that many badly affected areas remain cut off by road, though emergency shelters are being set up.

After these incidents, the Taliban had urged for global help amid massive destruction in many areas due to the earthquake. Already suffering due to food shortages and lack of infrastructure, the quake has acted like a double whammy for the country. 

International Community Offers Help to Afghanistan

International help is arriving. The European Union announced it would send 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and one million euros to support victims of the quake.

The European Union has become one of Afghanistan’s main aid donors after the United States, once the largest provider, cut most of its assistance when Donald Trump took office.

Experts warn that these cuts make it harder to respond to the recent earthquake, in a country already facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises after decades of war. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that “the scale of need far exceeds current resources” and noted that funding cuts have reduced air services, limiting access to remote villages.

Rescue Groups Supported by Locals in Earthquake Affected Region

Emergency teams are struggling to reach the hardest-hit mountain areas. Local villagers have joined rescue efforts, using their bare hands to dig through mud and stone houses built on steep slopes.

The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was about 27 kilometres from Jalalabad and struck just eight kilometres deep. Shallow earthquakes are especially destructive, and many Afghans live in mud-brick homes that collapse easily.

Many residents in the affected villages were among the four million people forced back from Iran and Pakistan in recent years. Afghanistan often suffers earthquakes, including a 6.3-magnitude quake in Herat in October 2023 that killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed over 63,000 homes.

Also Read: Afghanistan Earthquake Kills Over 1,400, India Sends Aid, What We Know So Far