أفغانستان.. زلزال ننكرهار يدفن قرى ويترك 12 ألفاً في العراء

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that the earthquake that struck the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan has directly affected 12,000 people, according to preliminary statistics, noting that rescue efforts face significant challenges due to road blockages and resource shortages.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Kama district, about 30 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad city, with its effects extending to the provinces of Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan, accompanied by successive aftershocks. Initial reports indicated that 812 people were killed and 2,800 others injured, most of them in remote mountainous areas that hinder rescue efforts due to landslides and rugged terrain.

OCHA clarified that the earthquake destroyed entire villages, particularly in the Chowkay and Nurgal areas of Kunar and Dara-e Noor in Nangarhar, where the shallow depth of the earthquake (8-10 kilometers) amplified the destruction, leading to the collapse of hundreds of mud and stone houses.

It pointed out that rescue efforts face significant challenges due to road blockages and resource shortages, as 20 emergency assessment teams have been deployed in the affected areas, with plans to send five additional teams. Local authorities have also dispatched 35 ambulances and medical supplies via helicopters to the regional hospitals in Kunar and Nangarhar, which are suffering from capacity shortages.

OCHA confirmed that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which is already suffering from funding shortages and worsening needs, complicates the response to this earthquake. It called for urgent funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund and the Afghan Humanitarian Fund, in coordination with the de facto authorities and NGOs to provide food, shelter, and medical supplies.

Countries such as India and Iran have expressed their readiness to provide assistance, with India sending 1,000 tents and 15 tons of food supplies, while Iran has pledged medical supplies. This disaster comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with 22.9 million people—almost half the population—needing humanitarian assistance to survive in 2025, according to an OCHA report released in March 2025.

Afghanistan is facing complex challenges, including a fragile economy and a lack of basic services, exacerbated by cuts in U.S. funding, which have led to the closure of 220 health facilities and 400 nutrition sites, affecting 1.8 million people, including 80,000 children under the age of five.

Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Indian-Eurasian fault line, resulting in frequent tremors. In October 2023, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Herat province, leaving more than 2,000 dead and 43,000 affected, while a June 2022 earthquake in Paktika and Khost killed over 1,000 people.

OCHA reports indicate that earthquakes have caused the deaths of more than 7,000 Afghans over the past decade, with an average of 560 deaths annually. The lack of infrastructure, such as paved roads and equipped hospitals, hinders relief efforts, especially in remote mountainous areas that rely on weak building materials.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is further exacerbated by recurring climate disasters, such as floods that affected 170,000 people in 2024, and the forced return of nearly one million Afghans from Pakistan since September 2023, increasing pressure on limited resources.