2 powerful aftershocks rock Afghanistan as quake death toll hits 2,205

Two powerful aftershocks struck eastern Afghanistan within 12 hours, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said, sparking fears of further casualties and destruction on Friday (September 5) in a region where nearly 2,200 people have already died in a series of quakes over the past four days.

These tremors followed two major earthquakes that have already ravaged the South Asian nation. The Taliban administration estimated 2,205 deaths and 3,640 injuries by Thursday (September 4).

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Series of earthquakes

On Friday, a magnitude 5.4 quake hit the southeast at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), GFZ said, coming just hours after one earthquake struck the country late Thursday night.

The week’s earthquake of magnitude 6, shortly before midnight on Sunday (August 31), was one of the deadliest in Afghanistan’s recent history, leveling homes and inflicting widespread damage in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces when it struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles).

A second quake of magnitude 5.5 followed on Tuesday (September 2), causing rocks to slide down the mountains, cutting off roads to villages in remote areas, and disrupting ongoing rescue operations.

Crisis within crisis

Naqibullah Rahimi, spokesperson for Nangarhar’s health department, said the epicenter of Thursday’s earthquake was in Shiwa district near the Pakistan border, with preliminary reports of damage.

The earlier quakes flattened villages in both provinces, destroying more than 6,700 homes. Rescue teams were still recovering bodies from the rubble on Thursday.

Survivors in earthquake-hit areas have been left without food, shelter, or medical supplies as the United Nations and humanitarian agencies warn of an urgent need for aid.

Relief groups describe the situation as a crisis within a crisis, with Afghanistan already grappling with severe drought, economic collapse, and the recent return of nearly 2 million Afghans from neighboring countries.

Also Read: Over 800 dead as strong earthquake rocks eastern Afghanistan near Pak border

Death toll rises to 2,205

The shallow, 6.0-magnitude quake struck the mountainous and remote eastern part of the country on August 31, leveling villages and trapping people under rubble.

Most of the casualties have been in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep river valleys separated by high mountains.

Some 98 percent of the buildings in the province were damaged or destroyed, according to an assessment issued Thursday by the Islamic Relief charity.

While earlier reports put the death toll at around 1,400, Taliban spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on Thursday that fatalities had risen to 2,205, with search and rescue efforts still ongoing.