Afghanistan hit with 6.0 magnitude near eastern border with Pakistan, hundreds killed

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A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan near its shared border with Pakistan late Sunday, killing upwards of 800 people and injuring thousands more. 

The quake was reported at 11:47 p.m. some 17 miles east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the U.S. Geological Survey said. 

Footage showed rescuers taking injured people on stretchers from collapsed buildings and into helicopters as people frantically dug through rubble with their hands.

A Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at a press conference that most of the casualties were in Kunar province. 

Buildings in Afghanistan tend to be low-rise constructions, mostly of concrete and brick, with homes in rural and outlying areas made from mud bricks and wood. Many are of poor construction.

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The earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, near the country's border with Pakistan.  (AP Photo)

The earthquake was just 5 miles deep and shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.

A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred in the same province just after midnight.

Ambulances prepare to receive victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed numerous villages, in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Nangarhar Media Center via AP)

Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush Mountain range where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. 

Afghans donate blood for victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed numerous villages, at Nangarhar Regional Hospital in Nangarhar, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health via AP)

One of the deadliest natural disasters to strike Afghanistan in recent memory occurred on Oct. 7, 2023, when a 6.3 earthquake struck the south-central Asian nation, followed by strong aftershocks. 

Stretchers and ambulances are prepared to receive earthquake victims at Nangarhar Airport in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Nangarhar Media Center via AP)

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The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people perished, though the U.N. gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.