In eastern Afghanistan, grief and desperation filled the air as families and rescuers clawed through piles of rubble, searching for loved ones after a powerful earthquake claimed the lives of around 800 people and left more than 2,500 injured.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck late Sunday night in Kunar province, near the city of Jalalabad. Homes crumbled within seconds, and entire families were buried beneath the debris. Shallow tremors and several aftershocks made the devastation even worse.
In villages across Kunar, survivors described heartbreaking losses. “Five people were martyred in this house, three in that one, and another three behind it,” one villager said quietly. “We found them all. But one boy and one girl are still missing.”
Images from the aftermath showed funeral prayers, the wounded being carried on stretchers, and men digging with bare hands, hoping to pull someone out alive.
Officials confirmed that most of the deaths and injuries occurred in Kunar, where homes are often built of mud bricks and wood—structures too fragile to withstand such tremors. The quake struck just before midnight, its shallow depth magnifying the destruction.