Afghanistan has deployed airdropped commando units to reach survivors trapped beneath the rubble in remote, mountainous eastern provinces devastated by two powerful earthquakes this week. The death toll has climbed to 1,411, with more than 3,100 injured and over 5,400 homes destroyed, according to official figures.
The first quake, a magnitude 6.0 tremor, struck around midnight on Sunday in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, causing widespread destruction. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit the country in recent years. A second quake, measuring 5.5, struck on Tuesday, triggering landslides, cutting off roads, and halting rescue operations as panic spread through already devastated communities.
Disaster management officials said dozens of commandos were airdropped into areas inaccessible to helicopters to carry the injured to safety. Relief camps and coordination centres have been set up to manage the distribution of emergency supplies, transfer the wounded, and oversee burials.
Rescue teams have been using helicopters to evacuate the injured to hospitals, battling treacherous terrain and harsh weather to reach villages along the Pakistan border, where mudbrick homes collapsed under the force of the tremors. Residents reported that the second quake flattened structures that had only been partially damaged in the first.
The United Nations has warned that the death toll could rise further, with many victims still believed to be trapped under debris. The disaster has struck a nation already grappling with severe economic hardship and limited international aid, leaving rescue and relief operations stretched thin.
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