Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises, survivors face aid crunch

Rescue teams have been working to recover bodies from the wreckage of homes destroyed in this week’s earthquakes in Afghanistan, as the window for survivors narrows.

Global aid agencies have warned that funds for food, shelter, and medical supplies are rapidly depleting, leaving those affected facing a grim outlook.

Search operations continued late into Wednesday in the quake-hit mountainous eastern regions, as additional bodies were recovered, the Taliban administration said. The death toll has surpassed 1,457, though exact figures are still being compiled.

“Everything we had has been destroyed,” said Aalem Jan, a resident of Kunar province, the area worst affected. “Our house collapsed, and all our belongings are gone. The only things left are the clothes on our backs.”

The first tremor, measuring magnitude 6, struck on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), causing widespread devastation across Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. A second quake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday triggered panic and disrupted rescue efforts, sending rocks tumbling down slopes and cutting off access to remote villages.

Authorities reported around 3,400 people injured and more than 6,700 homes destroyed. The United Nations warned that the death toll could rise further, as many remain trapped beneath the rubble.

Humanitarian needs are “vast and growing rapidly,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said, noting that approximately 84,000 people are directly or indirectly affected, with thousands displaced.

In some villages in Kunar province, entire households were obliterated. Survivors frantically searched for loved ones, carrying bodies on woven stretchers, sifting through rubble, and digging graves with pickaxes while awaiting aid.

Footage from Reuters TV showed trucks carrying sacks of flour and men with shovels making their way to remote villages on steep slopes. In locations inaccessible to helicopters, authorities deployed commando units by air.

Resources for rescue and relief remain limited in Afghanistan, a nation of 42 million already weakened by decades of war, poverty, and declining aid. Harsh weather has further complicated operations.

Funding cuts to foreign aid under U.S. President Donald Trump, combined with donor frustration over the Taliban’s restrictions on women and limits on aid workers, have exacerbated the country’s isolation.

The World Health Organisation highlighted a funding shortfall of $3 million, warning that supplies of medicines, trauma kits, and essential items must be maintained amid soaring demand.

The U.N. World Food Programme can provide support for survivors for only four more weeks, according to its country head, John Aylieff.

Jacopo Caridi of the Norwegian Refugee Council urged donors to commit to long-term support, stressing the need to go beyond emergency aid to give Afghans a chance at a sustainable future.

“The earthquake should serve as a stark reminder: Afghanistan cannot be left to face one crisis after another alone,” he said.

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