When earthquakes strike a country cut off from aid

Kunar, one of Afghanistan’s most impoverished provinces bordering Pakistan, was struck by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on Sunday, August 31, just before midnight. The tremor tore through the mountainous region’s dense forests and fragile mud-stone homes, leaving behind a staggering loss of human lives: the UN reports that at least 2,200 people died, with more than 4,000 injured and over 8,000 homes reduced to rubble. The Taliban’s deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, said on September 4 that the death toll had climbed to 2205, noting that search and rescue operations were still ongoing.

Among the most affected is Azam Gul, 44, who lost 24 close family members, including siblings and cousins, in a matter of minutes. “I was asleep when the quake hit,” he told FairPlanet, speaking through visible injuries to his head, feet, and chest. “When I opened my eyes, I was under rubble and stones.”

His younger brother, Jalil Gul, 25, who had been sleeping outside to cool down on a hot summer night, pulled Azam out. “He rescued me,” Gul said. “When I realised I had survived, I started calling for others. I shouted everywhere. But I heard nothing. All are gone forever.”

For many survivors like Gul, the aftermath has been unexpected desperation. With little immediate outside assistance in the first place, villagers with minor injuries became the first responders, digging through ruins with bare hands and picks in search of relatives, neighbours, and any sign of life. According to UN refugee head Filippo Grandi, more than 500,000 people in eastern Afghanistan have been affected by the tragedy, as he shared on X.

Abdullah Khan, 40, is now searching for a rental home in Behsood district, on the outskirts of Jalalabad city, a 40-minute drive from Dar-e Noor district. He had returned to live in Dar-e Noor in 2009 from Pakistan, where he lived as a refugee during the civil war that forced millions of Afghans to flee, mainly to Pakistan and Iran, and some to Europe and the West. Since then, he has lived there continuously.Though injured, he and his entire family consider themselves among the lucky ones.

“I had just woken up before the seismic shock,” Khan told FairPlanet. “My children were sleeping outside on the rooftop. I told them, ‘Wake up, I’m hearing some horrific sounds coming from the mountainside.’” Moments later, the earthquake struck. “We were all buried under the rubble, unconscious,” he said.

Save the Children reported that one of its relief teams had to walk nearly 20 kilometres (about 12 miles) to reach villages cut off by landslides, carrying medical supplies on their backs with the help of residents. “The core problem is that connecting roads have been destroyed by the earthquake, leaving rescuers and medical teams unable to reach the affected areas safely,” said Dr Zahir Shah Atal, speaking from Mazar Dar, seemingly the epicentre of the current disaster. 

In Dwa Gul district, another hard-hit area, villagers worked tirelessly to dig and bury the dead. Each body required nearly 20 meters of cloth for a shroud, but supplies quickly ran out. Later, volunteers, who were mostly youths from neighbouring Nangarhar province, joined to help bury the corpses. “I counted 80 bodies buried in the collective graveyard since morning,” said Khan Lala, 23, who was among the workers. Fatigued from two days of rescue operations, many had neither eaten nor slept. “Local communities, villagers, and volunteers have played a huge role in this catastrophe,” Khan Lala added.

Women Carry the Heaviest Burden in Natural Disasters 

As the global climate crisis intensifies, Afghanistan stands among the most fragile nations, with Kunar province bearing some of its harshest consequences. Already battered by conflict and poverty, the region is now reeling from repeated natural disasters and the slow-burning toll of environmental change.

In Kunar, climate impacts are lived realities. In the past three decades, deforestation in Kunar has been driven by warlords and local powerholders tied to tribal structures. Each tribe controls a portion of the forests and annually arranges tree-cutting and sales. Tribal elders, family heads, and district or village leaders have been the key decision-makers—managing and profiting from the forests.

Neither the central government in Kabul nor local authorities in Kunar have been able to stop them from smuggling, which has worsened floods and landslides. At the same time, prolonged droughts leave families without safe drinking water. Women, in particular, carry a disproportionate burden: many are forced to walk long distances with heavy water carriers on their heads, to bring potable water back to their households. 

In recent months, the return of refugees from Pakistan has placed additional strain on Kunar’s already fragile resources. Access to clean drinking water has become one of the most urgent challenges. “I know this is linked to the climate,” said Jawid Qasim, who works with UNHCR’s shelter programme in the province. “In many parts of Kunar, you simply cannot find safe water. Either you must pay for it, or walk long distances to fetch it.”

For countless Afghan families, particularly women, climate change is not a distant threat but an immediate emergency. The UN reports that climate change has left over 13 million Afghans facing severe food insecurity, with drought displacing more than half the population. It undermines food security, strips away income and employment opportunities, and exposes communities to new health and safety risks. Unless targeted efforts are made to restore Afghanistan’s landscapes and strengthen local resilience, these recurring crises will only deepen, locking vulnerable populations, especially women, in a relentless cycle of survival.

In Chapa Dara Kunar province, two women sat fully covered and wearing masks at a table with papers and an orange purse. Dr Malali from the Aga Khan Foundation explained that they had just set up a small tent to treat earthquake victims. “Since arriving, we’ve treated 20 patients and will stay in the area for a few more days,” she said.

Decades of conflict have placed a heavy burden on Afghan women. Over 40 years, much of the country’s female population - out of 42 million - has been denied basic education and rights.

During the 20-year US-NATO presence, Afghan women suffered immense personal losses, enduring mental and emotional pressures. Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, restrictions have intensified: girls’ schools beyond sixth grade remain closed, many female medical workers have left the country, and gaps in healthcare for women have grown, leaving critical services underserved. 

Women were among the earthquake casualties, and the trauma caused some to experience premature deliveries. “These cases urgently require female nurses and midwives, but the shortage of trained female staff has hampered our response efforts,”  Dr Zahir Sha Atal, a physician at Kunar’s regional hospital, told FairPlanet. he treated the majority of those injured in the recent earthquake. At least six At least six pregnant women lost their lives in Kunar province following the recent earthquake.

Rescue Operations  

Following the efforts of hundreds of local villagers, volunteers from other parts of Kunar and Afghanistan, and several national and international NGOs, including the Afghan Red Crescent, the Taliban government’s Defence Ministry reported that 155 helicopter flights have evacuated and rescued over 2,000 people. However, broken roads continue to pose a significant obstacle, and the earthquake destroyed many homes built on hilltops and mountains. 

Ihsanullah Karyab, a local Facebook broadcaster who arrived in Mazar Dara on Monday morning, finally reached after hours of walking, “I was completely exhausted, even though I hadn’t had anything to drink. I asked myself, how could I even think of drinking when I saw children crying for their parents, and local people rushing to bury not just tens, but hundreds of dead bodies? The scene would break any heart, even one made of stone,” Karyab told FairPlanet. “For the sake of my countrymen, I haven’t slept for three nights,” added. “There are so many heartbreaking stories here. I saved many babies while their parents died - it has affected me mentally.” Despite the trauma, Karyab added, “I am still committed. This is my community, and I am part of this catastrophe.”

“Thousands of families are trapped without food, water, or shelter,”  a local volunteer said, describing the desperate search-and-rescue efforts in Nurgal District in mountain communities.

The United Nations reported an urgent need for emergency shelter, blankets, cooking sets, medical supplies, and clean water in the affected areas. 

In addition to Kunar, the provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan were also struck by the earthquake. For four consecutive nights, residents in these areas have struggled to sleep as aftershocks rattle their homes.

“On Friday night alone, we felt four tremors in Jalalabad,” said Bibi Shirina, 28, a mother of a two-year-old. “With my baby in my arms, I couldn’t sleep at all; the entire house shook each time.”

Legacies of War, Corruption, and Aid Cutoff

After more than four decades of war and political instability, marked by poverty and entrenched and systematic corruption, especially over the past 20 years, Afghanistan continues to grapple with enormous challenges, including weak and underdeveloped infrastructure. 

The disaster strikes at a time when Afghanistan is already grappling with overlapping humanitarian and political crises. Throughout 2025, international aid has dwindled, with significant reductions led by the United States, followed by Britain, France, and Sweden. 

The United Nations reports that since the Taliban’s return to power, more than 2.4 million Afghan refugees have returned from Iran and Pakistan. Out of the country’s 42 million people, an estimated 22 million require urgent humanitarian assistance.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, the UN swiftly disbursed emergency funding from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). At the same time, countries such as the UK, Austria, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and others mobilised additional aid under UN supervision.

Foreign aid is often marred by misuse and corruption, and SIGAR’s latest report highlights concerns over the lack of transparency in aid delivery.

Esmat Muradi, an Afghan current-affairs expert and former journalist  based in Toronto, called the situation in Kunar “a major humanitarian disaster,” noting that hundreds have been killed or injured and that many villagers are still living under the open sky without medical care.” He warned that children are falling ill and pregnant women have no access to female doctors. 

Muradi added that although the United States was once Afghanistan’s leading political and economic partner, it has “shown no readiness to assist” so far, even as ordinary people abroad are mobilising relief and charity. 

Image by Haroon Nasir.