NEW DELHI: Afghanistan was hit by six earthquakes within 24 hours, just days after a powerful tremor killed over 2,200 people in the country.
On Friday morning, three back-to-back quakes measuring 4.9, 5.2, and 4.6 were recorded near the Hindukush mountains close to the Pakistan border, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. These followed two Thursday night shocks of magnitude 5.8 and 4.1, and a 4.8 quake earlier that morning.
The NCS shared details of the seismic activity on X, noting depths ranging from 50 km to 160 km.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has rushed emergency aid to Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, where more than 1,400 people have been killed and over 3,000 injured. Initial consignments include food, high-energy biscuits, and other essentials, with more flights carrying supplies and staff scheduled in the coming days.
“Homes reduced to rubble, roads destroyed, landslides everywhere, and tragically, lives lost,” said WFP regional director Harald Mannhardt, describing the devastation. Relief operations are hampered by blocked roads, rugged terrain, and repeated aftershocks.
India has also stepped in with support. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that 21 tonnes of relief material—including blankets, tents, medicines, hygiene kits, generators, and water purifiers—had been airlifted to Kabul earlier this week.
The fresh tremors, combined with recent flash floods and worsening weather, threaten to deepen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
