UNU-INWEH Incident Brief: Shirzaei, M., Daqiq, M. T., Lucy, J., Werth, S., Sharma, R., Jaramillo Velasco, M., Matin, M. & Madani, K. (2025). Damage Assessment of Afghanistan's August 2025 Earthquake. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Doi: 10.53328/INR25MSIR002.
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On 31 August 2025, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. Despite being moderate in scale, the shallow depth and timing—just before midnight—amplified its devastation. Entire villages collapsed, leaving up to 2,800 people dead, many of them women and children trapped in mudbrick homes. More than 8,000 buildings were destroyed, and satellite radar data revealed ground uplift of up to 23 cm near the epicenter. A series of aftershocks, including a M5.6 quake on 4 September, compounded the destruction and hampered relief efforts.
The disaster’s severity stemmed from a mix of fragile housing, steep and unstable terrain, and blocked access routes caused by quake-triggered landslides. Remote mountain communities were cut off at the most critical moment, while local health facilities were overwhelmed or damaged. Rescue and recovery were further delayed by Afghanistan’s political isolation, which has reduced international aid flows since 2021. Unlike in other disasters, no foreign rescue teams were immediately deployed, leaving humanitarian agencies already in-country to respond despite severe funding shortfalls.
The earthquake also exposed deep social and gender inequities. Women and girls faced particular hardships in accessing medical care and humanitarian aid due to restrictions on their movement and the ban on female humanitarian workers. A shortage of female health providers meant life-saving treatment was delayed or denied. These systemic barriers turned a natural disaster into a profound humanitarian crisis, further widening existing inequalities.
The incident underscores urgent lessons: Afghanistan needs safer housing through low-cost seismic reinforcement, community-based disaster preparedness, and investment in monitoring and early warning systems. At the same time, the international community must adapt its approach to disaster relief in politically isolated contexts. Humanitarian exceptions, neutral aid corridors, and stronger local partnerships are essential to ensure that lifesaving assistance reaches those in need—regardless of politics.
