Two moderate earthquakes struck eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
A magnitude 5.6 quake was recorded about 22 miles west-southwest of Asadabad, and a magnitude 4.5 tremor struck roughly 15 miles northeast of Jalalabad.
Both were shallow quakes, according to the USGS, and followed the devastating magnitude‑6.0 tremor on Monday that killed over 2,200 people.
Why It Matters
Afghanistan has been recovering from the devastating quake earlier in the week, which left hundreds dead and many more injured. Satellite images showed buildings reduced to rubble, with several communities cut off from routes that would have enabled faster response times from emergency crews.
Associated Press
Where were the two earthquakes in Afghanistan today?
Late Thursday, a 5.6-magnitude quake rattled Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, which is south of the hardest-hit Kunar province, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
There was also a 4.5-magnitude earthquake recorded in a similar area. The province sits close to the border with Pakistan.
Afghanistan earthquake Death Toll Climbs
The earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan earlier this week had its epicenter near Nurgal District in Kunar Province — located approximately 22 miles west-southwest of Asadabad and 15 miles east-northeast of Jalalabad.
Previous estimates said some 1,400 people were killed in the earlier quakes. Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Thursday that the updated death toll was 2,205 and that search and rescue efforts were continuing.
“Tents have been set up for people, and the delivery of first aid and emergency supplies is ongoing,” Fitrat said.
The rough terrain is hindering relief efforts. Taliban authorities have deployed helicopters and airdropped army commandos to help survivors. Aid workers have reported walking for hours to reach villages cut off by landslides and rockfall.
Funding cuts are also having an impact on the response. The Norwegian Refugee Council said it had fewer than 450 staff in Afghanistan, whereas it had 1,100 in 2023, the date of the last major quake in the country. The council only had one warehouse remaining and no emergency stock.
Qatar’s minister of state for international cooperation, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to oversee the delivery of aid to earthquake victims.
She is the first female minister to visit Afghanistan on a humanitarian mission since the Taliban seized power in 2021, and the first high-ranking foreign official to travel there since the quake.
Aid organizations describe the latest disaster as a crisis within a crisis. Afghanistan was already struggling with drought, a weak economy and the recent return of some 2 million Afghans from neighboring countries.
What People Are Saying
Maisam Shafiey, the communications and advocacy advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press: “We will need to purchase items once we get the funding, but this will take potentially weeks, and people are in need now. We have only $100,000 available to support emergency response efforts. This leaves an immediate funding gap of $1.9 million.”
What’s Next
Officials have yet to announce any known injuries relating to Thursday’s earthquakes. Efforts were continuing on the recovery from the earlier disasters.
Update 09/04/25 4:18 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
