In the wake of Sunday night’s deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, humanitarian teams are racing against time to reach survivors trapped in remote villages. The 6.0 magnitude quake has already claimed over 800 lives and injured more than 2,000, but UN officials warn the true impact could affect hundreds of thousands.
Speaking from Kabul, Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s top humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, described the devastation in mountainous provinces where homes built from mud and wood collapsed while families slept. “When walls give way, the roofs fall and suffocate people,” he said, noting that many victims remain buried under debris.
Access to affected areas has been severely limited due to landslides and rockfalls triggered by the quake. Emergency teams are navigating treacherous terrain, with some volunteers walking for hours to reach isolated villages. The Afghan Red Crescent reports that hospitals in Jalalabad are overwhelmed, and transporting the injured remains a major challenge.
The UN has mobilized 20 emergency assessment teams and 15 mobile units, while additional humanitarian flights are being scheduled between Kabul and Jalalabad. Efforts are also underway to restore mobile networks and deploy helicopters, though connectivity remains a major obstacle.
Ratwatte emphasized the urgent need for psychosocial support and disease prevention, warning that decomposing bodies and livestock could trigger waterborne outbreaks. “Disposal must happen quickly,” he said.
The disaster comes amid a broader humanitarian crisis. Over 22 million Afghans require aid, and recent droughts have worsened food insecurity. Funding cuts have forced hundreds of aid facilities to shut down, leaving communities exposed to multiple shocks.
Adding to the strain, more than 2.4 million Afghan refugees have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year—many to the very regions hit by the quake. UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said most were deported with no resources, arriving in disaster zones already stretched beyond capacity.
“The country is at a breaking point,” Ratwatte concluded, noting that the $2.4 billion humanitarian response plan for 2025 is only 28% funded.