Afghanistan earthquake: Impassable roads, inclement weather

Midnight Afghanistan earthquake

Rescuers are using helicopters to deliver supplies and personnel to help comb the rubble of homes in a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan, following a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck around midnight local time (19:18 UTC) on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Reuters is reporting “impassable roads,” “rough terrain” and “inclement weather,” as rescuers attempt to reach survivors. Already 1,400 people have been reported dead by a United Nations humanitarian agency. And over 3,124 are known to have been injured in the quake, so far.

The USGS reported the quake’s epicenter as being 16 miles (26 km) east-northeast of Jalalabad, Afghanistan’s 5th-largest city with a reported population of about 200,331. The quake was centered approximately between Kabul – the capital and largest city of Afghanistan – and Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. It’s said to have shaken buildings in both Kabul and Islamabad.

The Taliban, which rules Afghanistan, is reported to have asked for help from the world in quake recovery efforts. Reuters commented on September 1, 2025:

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation’s Taliban administration, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighboring countries.

Afghanistan has a mix of political, geographic and social factors that are making earthquake recovery efforts difficult.

Hundreds dead after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan.

— NBC News (@nbcnews.com) 2025-09-01T12:40:20Z

Bottom line: The Taliban, which rules war-torn Afghanistan, has asked the world for help with recovery efforts following Sunday’s 6.0-magnitude Afghanistan earthquake.

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