AFGHANISTAN EARTHQUAKE: Rescue teams racing to the site of a devastating earthquake with hundreds dead and thousands of children potentially impacted
KABUL (September 1, 2025) – Rescue teams are racing to Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan where a devastating earthquake has killed at least 600 people and injured more than 3,000, including many children and the number of casualties continuing to rise, Save the Children said [1].
Save the Children works in the affected provinces and is sending health teams immediately to the most heavily impacted districts in Kunar province as aftershocks continue and rescue operations are hampered by blocked roads.
The extent of the devastation will take time to become clear with areas of the mountainous province cut off and communications challenging – but the de facto authorities say at least 600 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured in Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman provinces following the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that hit in the middle of the night.
Azam*, 52, is a doctor who lives in Kunar province and was at home when the earthquake hit. He said: “It was around midnight when we felt the earthquake, and it was extremely intense. The tremors were so strong that we couldn’t even open the door but the shaking broke part of the wall, which allowed me to jump out [of the house]. Fortunately, the children were not at home. If they had been inside with us, I am not sure we would have been able to save them. All our rooms are damaged – our belongings are under the rubble. We are still feeling [shaking from] the earthquake all around us.”
Families in Kunar have also been affected by flash floods triggered by torrential rain in recent days, with homes and roads damaged, according to the UN [2].
Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director, Save the Children Afghanistan, said:
“The earthquake came without warning in the middle of the night. Children and their families were fast asleep in their homes – homes that are not built to withstand tremors of this magnitude. Aftershocks are continuing, causing terror for children and heightening the risk of further damage and casualties.
Roads have been blocked by rocks, cutting off villages and hampering rescue operations. Children and their families need urgent support – with the likely destruction of so many homes, they will need food, clean water, shelter and essential household items.
The true scale of the devastation is still emerging, but we know that children are always the most vulnerable in the aftermath of a disaster. We urgently call on the international community to step up with immediate funding and coordinated support to ensure life-saving assistance reaches children and families without delay.”
Save the Children has been supporting communities and protecting children's rights across 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. Since August 2021, we've scaled up our response to support the increasing number of children in need. 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] Data from Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.
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