Hundreds Killed in Afghanistan Quake, Iran Ready to Send Help

Date: 01 September 2025 - 22:28

News ID: ۱۴۳۰۸۴

KABUL (Dispatches) – One of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years has killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, officials said on Monday, as rescuers struggled to reach remote mountainous areas hindered by rough terrain and heavy rainfall.
The magnitude 6.0 quake struck near midnight local time in the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Laghman, collapsing mudbrick homes and blocking roads.
The disaster threatens to stretch the already limited resources of Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, which is grappling with economic hardships, dwindling foreign aid, and the fallout of mass deportations from neighboring countries.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s health ministry, called for international assistance to help those affected. “We need it because many people have lost their lives and homes,” he told Reuters.
The quake killed 812 people in Kunar and Nangarhar, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Rescue teams and authorities are working to clear debris and transport the injured, but heavy rains have increased the risk of landslides, complicating relief efforts.
Kate Carey, an officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told Reuters, “The risk of landslides and rockslides is quite significant due to recent heavy rains, making many roads impassable.”
Helicopters and ground teams are transporting casualties to hospitals, while local residents help carry the wounded on makeshift stretchers. The quake destroyed entire villages, with many survivors left homeless and in urgent need of medical care.
“This is Mazar Dara in Nurgal district. The entire village has been

destroyed,” one resident said. “Children and elders are trapped under rubble. We need urgent help.”

Amid the devastation, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian sent a message of condolence to the Afghan people and government. Describing Afghanistan as a “brotherly country,” Pezeshkian expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and injuries caused by the quake.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Arachchi also extended Tehran’s sympathies in a separate statement, describing the tragedy as “deeply saddening.” He stressed Iran’s “full readiness to send emergency, medical, and humanitarian aid” to support Afghan recovery efforts.

Esmaeil Baghai, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, echoed this commitment, highlighting the government’s willingness to assist Afghan authorities in rescue and relief operations.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society announced it was prepared to dispatch rescue and medical teams, with its president, Pir Hussein Kolivand, sending condolences to his Afghan counterpart Sheikh Al-Hadith Shahabuddin Dilawar. “The Iranian Red Crescent stands ready to send aid teams as soon as requested,” Kolivand said.

China and India have also pledged support. India has delivered 1,000 family tents to Kabul and is sending food supplies to Kunar province, with more relief materials scheduled to arrive.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the scale of destruction and confirmed that UN missions in Afghanistan were mobilizing to assist in the relief efforts.

Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain, especially in the Hindu Kush region where tectonic plates meet, is highly prone to earthquakes. This disaster follows a 2022 quake that killed more than 1,000 people in eastern Afghanistan, marking one of the first major natural catastrophes since the Taliban took control in 2021.