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Afghanistan earthquake: Latest updates

01 Sep 25 | 02 Sep 25

Afghanistan earthquake: Latest updates

MSF staff walk over the rubble of what used to be people’s homes in Sanjaib Village, Injil District, Herat Province. The team is conducting an assessment of the population’s needs following the earthquakes in the province. All houses in the village were destroyed.. Caption
MSF staff walk over the rubble of what used to be people’s homes in Sanjaib Village, Injil District, Herat Province. The team is conducting an assessment of the population’s needs following the earthquakes in the province. All houses in the village were destroyed..
© Paul Odongo/MSF

2 Sept 2025

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck eastern Afghanistan. At least 800 people are reported to have been killed and more than 2,000 injured.

Entire villages have been reduced to rubble, with many people still trapped. Tragically, the death toll is expected to rise significantly.

The epicentre is in a remote and mountainous area of Kunar Province that is difficult to access, making rescue efforts challenging. Local hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed.

MSF teams in Afghanistan are currently in touch with the local authorities and international health organisations to assess how we may be able to provide medical support. Our teams in Kabul and other provinces are safe and accounted for. We continue monitoring the situation and our thoughts are with the victims and their families in these difficult moments.

 

UPDATE 2 September 2025

 

An MSF team reached Nangarhar and Laghman provinces in eastern Afghanistan to carry out an assessment following the devastating earthquake that struck on August 31. According to local authorities, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured.

 

MSF visited the Nangarhar regional hospital in Jalalabad city, where more than 130 patients injured by the earthquake received surgery, and around 600 patients were admitted in the past 24 hours, as well as Laghman provincial hospital. The team distributed trauma and wounded kits to the two hospitals.

 

“The two hospitals were already working at full capacity before the earthquake, we saw many patients treated in the corridors and health workers in need of supplies. The humanitarian response needs to scale up urgently,” explains Dr Fazal Hadi, MSF deputy medical coordinator.

 

MSF is assessing how to best contribute to the medical response. Many people remain under the rubble according to local sources, and the destruction of infrastructure has had a significant impact on living conditions and access to clean water, creating the risk of communicable disease.

 

We are experts at mobilising a response to catastrophic natural disasters. Read more >

 

MSF Afghanistan team carried out an assessment in the Nangarhar regional hospital in Jalalabad, where more than 130 surgeries were performed within 24h. MSF Afghanistan team delivered emergency donations, with 2 trauma kits and 1 wounded care kit during our visit while we plan for an intervention to support affected communities. Caption
MSF Afghanistan team carried out an assessment in the Nangarhar regional hospital in Jalalabad, where more than 130 surgeries were performed within 24h. MSF Afghanistan team delivered emergency donations, with 2 trauma kits and 1 wounded care kit during our visit while we plan for an intervention to support affected communities.
© Ahmadullah Safi/MSF