Fresh aftershocks from a deadly earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan over the weekend have injured at least 10 more people and caused additional damage, Taliban authorities confirmed on Friday.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, five shallow tremors were recorded between Thursday night and Friday morning, the strongest reaching magnitude 5.6. The shocks rattled not only eastern Afghanistan but were also felt in the capital, Kabul, and across the border in Islamabad, Pakistan.
National disaster authority spokesman Mohammad Hammad told AFP that the latest injuries were reported across eight provinces, including Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman — the areas hardest hit by Sunday’s magnitude-6.0 quake. That disaster left more than 2,200 people dead and over 3,700 injured, making it Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in decades.
In Nuristan province, resident Enamullah Safi described a night of terror as homes shook once again. “Everyone was afraid. We are still afraid and have not returned to our homes,” the 25-year-old cook said.
He explained that many residents spent the night outdoors, huddled under blankets in the freezing mountain air.
While aid is flowing into the worst-affected regions, residents in surrounding areas say support remains scarce. Some homes were damaged or destroyed in the aftershocks, and access for relief workers has been hampered by treacherous mountain roads blocked by landslides and falling rocks.
The disaster compounds Afghanistan’s already fragile humanitarian situation. The country, reeling from decades of conflict, is also grappling with severe drought, deepening poverty, and the return of millions of Afghan refugees expelled from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
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