Afghanistan earthquake 2025: 800 people killed

Search and rescue operations underway after 6.0 magnitude earthquake.

Last updated 2 September 2025

Trained Afghan Red Crescent volunteers are undertaking search and rescue missions following a devastating earthquake late on 31 August 2025.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan. It is currently estimated that more than 800 people have been killed, with that figure sadly expected to rise.

Thousands are injured, or unaccounted for with dozens of villages under rubble. Health facilities are reported to be overstretched with the number of injured arriving.

You can help people affected by the earthquake by donating to Afghanistan Crisis Appeal.

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Two men wearing Red Cross uniforms stand in the rubble of a building destroyed by the 2025 earthquake in Afghanistan. There are mountains in the background.

Volunteers from the Afghan Red Crescent Society stand amid the rubble of a building collapsed by the 31 August earthquake. PHOTO: Afghan Red Crescent.

Where did the 31 August earthquake strike?

The earthquake’s epicentre was in the town of Mazar Darah near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, which is located around 74 miles from Kabul. It struck just before midnight local time.

Mazar Darah has reportedly been completely destroyed and blocked off by landslides.

The earthquake was five miles deep and has included several aftershocks with fears of more in the days to come. The shallow depth of the earthquake means it’s likely significant damage is to be expected.

What is happening after the earthquake in Afghanistan?

Local reports suggest that villages have been flattened, with countless people trapped in the rubble.

Whole areas have been blocked by landslides, and it is feared that people could be displaced well into the winter months.

“The location of this earthquake is very remote and mountainous, which makes rescue efforts particularly challenging,” says Jeremy Smith, the British Red Cross’s country manager for Afghanistan. “Floods and landslides over the weekend have also affected rescue efforts.

“The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is delivering vital aid and will continue to do so for as long as people need us.”

The immediate needs are:

Search and rescue.
Distribution of health items.
Distribution of food and drinking water.
Mental and psychosocial support for people affected.
Safe places for women and women-headed households.

Long-term support will also be needed, including:

Assistance to displaced people as the winter approaches.
Support to re-establish destroyed livelihoods.

What is the Red Cross doing in Afghanistan?

The immediate priority is to save lives. The country’s health ministry has estimated that 2,000 people could be injured in the rubble. Afghan Red Crescent teams have had to travel by foot and via helicopter to access the most heavily impacted areas and to support search and rescue and evacuations of the injured.

As well as carrying out search and rescue missions, volunteers are distributing emergency relief supplies, such as food, water and hygiene items to people who may have lost everything.
Afghan Red Crescent Society ambulances are transporting injured people to health centres including the overwhelmed Nangarhar Regional Specialist Hospital.
Local Afghan Red Crescent Society teams have been on the ground for over 30 years. They responded immediately to the 2023 earthquakes in Herat province, helping with search and rescue efforts.
Prior to the earthquake, only half of Afghanistan’s health facilities were fully functioning. The response is again stretching health resources beyond their limit.

Through our ongoing work in the country, teams have:

Established 47 healthcare clinics.
Set up a 70-bed hospital in Kabul.
Provided ongoing treatment for heart disease.
Set up cash voucher assistance for those affected by drought and food insecurity.

Is Afghanistan prone to earthquakes?

Yes, due to its location near the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, Afghanistan has experienced multiple powerful earthquakes. The October 2023 earthquakes in Herat province killed more than 2,000 people.

Afghanistan in crisis

28 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian help. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been supporting the people of Afghanistan for over 30 years. We won’t stop now.

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