Kabul ( The COW News Digital) Afghanistan was rocked by yet another powerful earthquake late Thursday night, the third major tremor in just four days, pushing the death toll beyond 2,200 and leaving thousands injured and homeless.
According to the German Research Center for Geosciences, the latest quake measured 6.2 in magnitude, with its epicenter near Shiwa district close to Pakistan’s border. The tremor struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), intensifying its impact across already devastated southeastern provinces.
Preliminary reports suggest that Barkash Kot has been particularly affected, though assessments are still ongoing. The provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar remain the hardest hit, with thousands of homes reduced to rubble and entire villages flattened.
Taliban authorities confirmed that in the span of four days, three major quakes have killed 2,205 people and injured at least 3,640 others. Rescue teams are frantically searching for survivors trapped under the debris, while mass burials are being carried out as the death toll rises.
On Thursday, emergency workers recovered dozens of bodies from collapsed homes. Survivors, many of whom have lost entire families, are now sheltering under open skies in cold and unsafe conditions. The lack of proper shelter has left thousands vulnerable to further suffering.
The humanitarian crisis is deepening as international aid agencies warn of shortages of food, medical supplies, and temporary shelters. The United Nations and other global relief organizations have expressed concern that resources are quickly depleting, with remote and mountainous regions particularly difficult to access due to landslides and damaged roads.
The disaster began on Sunday with a magnitude 6.0 earthquake, one of the most destructive in Afghanistan’s recent history, causing widespread devastation in Kunar and Nangarhar. A second quake of 5.5 magnitude followed on Tuesday, disrupting rescue operations and triggering rockfalls that cut off villages from relief efforts.
With the latest tremor compounding the crisis, residents fear aftershocks may bring down what little remains standing. Afghan officials are appealing for urgent international assistance, saying the scale of destruction is beyond the country’s current capacity to handle.
As the nation reels from the tragedy, the resilience of Afghan families is once again being tested. The focus now remains on saving lives, providing immediate relief, and preventing further catastrophe in the aftermath of these back-to-back earthquakes.
