Fresh Aftershock Hits Southeast Afghanistan as Quake Death Toll Surpasses 1,400

  • 03/09/2025

A powerful 5.5 magnitude aftershock has struck southeastern Afghanistan, exacerbating the devastation caused by a major earthquake just two days prior. The initial magnitude 6 quake had already killed more than 1,400 people, injured over 3,000, and flattened remote villages. This latest shallow tremor, occurring at a depth of 10 km, triggered new landslides, blocked critical roads, and made the already perilous rescue operations even more dangerous, according to aid workers on the ground.

The destruction in the affected region is widespread, with reports indicating that nearly every home has been damaged or destroyed. The Taliban administration has confirmed that more than 5,400 houses were leveled, and the United Nations has warned that the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams reach isolated communities. The challenging mountainous terrain has severely impeded the delivery of aid, leaving survivors to dig through rubble with their hands in a desperate search for loved ones.

International aid organizations are urgently calling for emergency funds and assistance, highlighting that access to clean water, food, and medical supplies is critical to preventing disease outbreaks and malnutrition. Afghanistan's location on a seismically active fault line makes it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, and this disaster underscores the acute vulnerability of its remote, mountainous communities. Aid groups describe the situation as a race against time to provide life-saving support to those most affected.

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