Eastern Afghanistan Earthquake Kills Over 250: Families, Communities, and Livelihoods in Ruins

In Kabul, Afghanistan, more than 200 people have been killed and at least 500 injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving behind a trail of collapsed homes, shattered livelihoods, and profound grief. The tremor, one of the deadliest in recent years, not only exposed the fragility of Afghanistan’s infrastructure but also intensified the challenges already facing a country struggling under economic, political and humanitarian crises. According to officials, the 6.0-magnitude tremor, centered just outside the bustling trade city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province near the Pakistan border, struck at 11:47 p.m. local time at a shallow depth of just 8 kilometers (5 miles), a factor that intensified the destruction.

Authorities say the worst damage occurred in Kunar province, particularly in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi, and Chapadare, where entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble. Rescue teams, already stretched thin by limited resources, are working around the clock to pull survivors from collapsed homes.

Entire families have been buried under rubble, with many survivors left to mourn loved ones while searching for food, water, shelter, etc. In villages where households are the backbone of community life, the sudden loss of breadwinners and caregivers is tearing at the social fabric. Children have been orphaned and many elderly survivors, who rely on family support, now face abandonment. These communities where family bonds serve as the primary safety net, the psychological wounds may run deeper than the physical destruction.

Hospitals in Jalalabad and nearby districts are overwhelmed with the number of injured. Doctors are treating patients in courtyards and makeshift tents due to a shortage of beds and medical supplies. Roads leading to remote mountain villages are blocked by landslides, delaying rescue efforts and complicating the delivery of food, blankets, and clean water.

Aid agencies warn of worsening conditions in the days ahead. Thousands have been displaced, and with many homes destroyed, survivors face the prospect of sleeping in the open. Exposure to cold nights, combined with scarce resources, threatens to turn the earthquake into a prolonged humanitarian disaster.

Beyond the human toll, the quake has dealt a blow to Afghanistan’s cultural and social fabric. Traditional mosques and shrines, which serve as community gathering places, have been damaged or destroyed. Their loss is symbolic in a region where faith and cultural identity form the backbone of social resilience.

Families who once gathered for evening prayers now sit in the ruins of collapsed homes, uncertain of the future. The psychological scars, particularly among children who witnessed the destruction, are expected to linger long after physical reconstruction begins.

The disaster also carries heavy economic consequences. Jalalabad, a city of about 300,000 and a vital trade hub near the Pakistan border, has seen shops, markets, and transport networks disrupted. The city’s low-rise concrete buildings and surrounding mud-brick homes proved especially vulnerable, compounding losses for traders and small business owners who rely on cross-border commerce.

Agricultural communities in Kunar province whose dependent on farmlands and livestock have been particularly hard-hit, have lost their fields and animals to this destruction. These families are already living on the edge of poverty, yet the merciless quake wiped-out the little economic stability they had.

Despite the devastation, stories of resilience are emerging. Neighbors have been digging survivors out with bare hands, women’s groups are organizing food-sharing efforts and religious leaders are calling for unity in the face of disaster. But social strains are rising. With aid limited and displacement camps overcrowded already, competition for scarce resources risks fueling tensions within communities. At the same time, solidarity has become a survival mechanism. Afghan diaspora networks abroad have begun fundraising, while local volunteers say rebuilding is possible only if communities continue to stand together.

Afghanistan’s political and humanitarian crises complicate the path going forward, as the government is still struggling for international recognition, which is making her face pressure to show competence in response to this disaster. Yet sanctions and aid restrictions make large-scale recovery efforts difficult. And the ordinary Afghans who are caught between geopolitics and this natural disaster, remain the most vulnerable.

While aftershocks may fade, the social, cultural and economic tremors will reverberate for years. For many Afghans, rebuilding is not simply about restoring homes but about reconstructing lives, dignity, individual economy and a sense of belonging.