On a devastating day of September 1st 2025, Afghanistan got struck by a powerful 6.0 magnitude of earthquake leaving the entire nation shattered. The powerful earthquake took away the lives of hundreds of people and injured a thousand. Parts of western Nangarhar and Kunar provinces are reported to be extremely affected by the aftermath of the disaster. Several houses have been destroyed and are under the rubble. The rescue efforts for the affected ones are also getting hindered due to the challenging and rugged terrain of the region. As per the news reports, 1400 people have been announced dead and more than 3000 are injured. India has emerged as a strong support and responder to help the people of Afghanistan who are deeply affected by the natural disaster. Delivering humanitarian aid to the affected people, PM Modi announced that India will continue to provide all the needed humanitarian aid to the affected communities of Afghanistan.
The Devastation: Facts and figures
The epicentre of the earthquake has been announced in Nangarhar province in Kama, near the border of Pakistan, followed by 5.4 magnitude aftershock which further destructed the lands and shelters in Afghanistan.As per Hindustan times report, 1411 lives have been officially reported dead and 3,124 people have been reported injured. More than 5000 homes have been destroyed where-mud-brick houses suffered the major destruction as they all collapsed due to the earthquake. Due to the aftershocks of the earthquake, landslides as well occurred in the region due to which the relief operations are getting hindered. Afghanistan has been always remained prone to such disaster as it lies on the intersection of Eurasian and Indian plates, due to which such disaster cannot be avoided. In 2023, Herat as well was struck by powerful earthquake of 6.3 magnitudes which destroyed several homes and costed many lives of the people of Afghanistan.
India’s support to the affected nation
Hearing about the devastating calamity that struck Afghanistan, India provided immediate assistance to the affected nation and its people to recover from the loss. India airlifted 21 tonnes of relief materials to Afghanistan. The relief materials included food, blankets, tents, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, sleeping bags, medicines, hand sanitizers and much more necessary items. External affairs minister of India, S Jaishankar shared on his X post:
“Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air. 21 tonnes of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitizers, water purification tablets, ORS solutions and medical consumables were airlifted today. India will continue to monitor the ground situation and send more humanitarian aid over the coming days.”
India’s humanitarian aid provided continued support to the affected people of Afghanistan. Around 1000 family tents and 15 tonnes of food has been supplied by India to the victims of the disaster in Afghanistan. As announced by S. Jaishankar, India will continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan and continue to provide the humanitarian aid in the coming days.
Relief Operations
The Taliban government of Afghanistan although has begun the relief operations in the affected areas, but due to geographical barriers of the nation, the challenging terrain and damaged roads are causing delays in the rescue teams’ efforts in reaching the massively affected area. Helicopters have been deployed to the region to air-drop rescue team and supplies to the people stuck in the affected region. The nearest hospital in the affected region has been overwhelmed with the patients.
The nation is being supported by UAE, UK, and India for humanitarian aid. However, due to limited international engagements, Taliban is now seeking assistance from as many nations as possible due to the intensity of the aftermath of the disaster. Only few nations have come up to provide assistance to the nation but not all.
Conclusion
The recent earthquake in Afghanistan served as a stark reminder to the destructive power of nature and vulnerability of human race in front of such disasters. India emerged as a much-needed support for the nation during the times of need, thereby proving that humanity and compassion comes over politics. However, since Afghanistan is located in a disaster-prone area, the government should remain prepared for the relief operations during such unexpected times. Afghanistan must work towards building early-warning system and earthquake resistant infrastructure to avoid such disasters in future.
The nation and its people will take time to recover from the loss and trauma caused due to the destructive effects of the disaster. Several families have lost their loved ones and several have lost their homes. In such times of crisis, solidarity turns out to be extremely helpful for such affected people. India stood as a strong humanitarian aid for Afghanistan and continues to provide any assistance needed to bring the people back to normal.
