AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE: Thousands of children in urgent need after villages cut off as death toll rises

KABUL (Sept. 2, 2025) – Thousands of children are in urgent need of food, water and shelter in eastern Afghanistan as teams battle against time to rescue injured people from mountainous and remote villages destroyed by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, Save the Children said.

Save the Children’s mobile medical teams are working in one of the most severely affected districts in Kunar province, where the death toll so far has reached over 1,400 with another 3,000 people injured, according to the de facto authorities, but those numbers are expected to rise as teams reach more areas.

One team had to walk for over 12 miles to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members.

Medical staff are operating round the clock to treat injuries and to help get people to ambulances that are unable to reach the cut-off villages. There are constant, terrifying aftershocks which have forced families to move into the open, where they are sleeping without shelter and away from homes and buildings that are not built to withstand such tremors.

According to initial UN reports, about 12,000 people – around half of whom are children – have been directly affected by the massive earthquake that struck in the middle of the night on Sunday, with Kunar province the most severely damaged ^[1].

Dr Shaheer*’s mobile medical team was the first to reach some of the devastated villages in Kunar and is working door-to-door to treat injured people.

Dr Shaheer* said: “Due to the road blockages, and as people are desperately trying to rescue their loved ones from under the rubble, they are not able to take injured [people] to the doctor or to our mobile health clinic. There is also no transport to take those with survivable injuries to the hospital. From the morning until 5 pm., we could not find drinking water or food in the area. People are using river water, which is not hygienic. The situation of children is severe. If they do not receive support, children in the earthquake-affected areas will face nutrition, health, and other challenges.”

The massive earthquake has disrupted sources of clean water, raising fears of disease, and restricted access to food. Save the Children is working to get clean water to villages in Kunar, especially in areas unreachable by water tankers, as well as providing emergency medical care and working with partners to assess urgent needs. The humanitarian and child rights organization is also setting up a childcare center to provide crucial mental health support for children.

Samira Sayed Rahman, Programs and Advocacy Director, Save the Children in Afghanistan said: “This is now a race against time to save lives – to get injured people out of remote villages cut off by massive rock falls and to get clean water, food, and shelter in. These mountainous villages are challenging to access in normal times but now many can only be reached on foot, and every hour counts. Families are desperate for help – they are asking our teams on the ground to help bury family members, to treat injured people, to provide clean water and food, especially for children. When houses collapsed, it wasn’t just roofs and walls that were lost – it was food, water, clothes, cooking pots. Everything was destroyed in seconds. The situation for children is critical. Our teams are supporting children, but thousands are in urgent need of help. We are calling on the international community to urgently release emergency funds and prioritize children’s needs in the response. Without immediate and sustained action, children face severe threats to their health, safety, and well-being in the days and weeks ahead.”

Save the Children has been working in Afghanistan since 1976, including during periods of conflict and natural disasters. We have programs in 10 provinces and work with partners in an additional 11 provinces. We deliver services spanning health, nutrition, education, child protection, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and livelihoods.

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References:

* Denotes name changed to protect identity

[1] Figures from UN OCHA https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghanistan-flash-update-1-earthquake-nangarhar-province-1-september-2025-1500