Afghanistan earthquake 2025: What CARE is doing

Written by: Hillol Sobhan, CARE Global Content Coordinator

Header photo by: Suzy Sainovski/CARE

A devastating 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on August 31, 2025, at 11:47 p.m. local time, killing at least 1,411 people and injuring over 3,000 others. The quake was relatively shallow, with a depth of about eight kilometers, which tends to be more destructive.

The epicenter was located 27 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad, impacting Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces. Tremors reached Pakistan's border areas, indicating just how powerful this was in the earthquake-prone Hindu Kush mountains.

More than 5,400 homes have been destroyed or damaged in the region. Several villages in Kunar province were destroyed. In the immediate aftermath, frantic residents dug through rubble with their bare hands, desperately searching for family members trapped under collapsed homes.

People urgently need food, clean water, medicine, shelter, and warm clothing. Photo by: COAR (CARE partner)

Immediate rescue efforts underway: Roads blocked, access limited

Afghan authorities launched urgent response efforts, sending helicopters to airlift critically injured people to Jalalabad and Asadabad hospitals. Heavy machinery crews worked to clear blocked roads, but many remote communities remain cut off.

Twenty emergency assessment teams were sent to the worst-hit areas. Debris, landslides, and collapsed structures blocking key routes has made getting to survivors extremely difficult. "Many roads are blocked, forcing assessment teams to walk for four to five hours to reach survivors," said Graham Davison, CARE Afghanistan Country Director. The assessment teams were forced to abandon their vehicles and navigate rough mountain terrain on foot to reach remote communities. Phone signals are poor, making coordination difficult.

CARE is working closely with the govt. and other humanitarian partners. Photo by: COAR (CARE partner)

Critical needs identified

When the teams finally reached the impacted communities, the needs were overwhelming. Thousands have lost everything, and winter is just a few months away.

Families asked for the basics: food, clean water, medicine. They need tents to shelter in, blankets to stay warm, clothes to replace what was lost, pots and pans to cook meals. People also need clean water systems, medical supplies, and trauma care. Hospitals are running low on essentials like saline, IV fluids, and bandages.

Women and girls at greater risk

Women and girls face increased dangers after the disaster, as existing restrictions continue to limit their access to life-saving help. "We are especially concerned for women and girls, whose safety and well-being face heightened risks in this crisis," said Davison.

"Women and girls are bearing the brunt of the crisis as it happens always," said Deepmala Mahla, CARE's chief humanitarian officer. "We need women humanitarian aid workers to be able to access, talk, and to distribute relief items to women and girls."

CARE responds to urgent needs

CARE moved fast, getting assessment teams into the devastated provinces, together with local partners. Staff have been meeting with survivors to understand what they need most. CARE is working closely with Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health and the Health Cluster. Humanitarian partners are sharing updates as things develop, while the Health Cluster puts together detailed reports on medical needs.

CARE's response to the crisis will be multifaceted, addressing areas such as cash assistance and food security, health and nutrition services, winter supplies, and protection programs for women and girls. CARE also plans to support water and sanitation services while providing emergency shelter, trauma care, and long-term recovery support.

"The earthquake has hit communities already struggling to survive," Davison said. "With roads blocked and winter approaching, we're racing against time to reach families who have lost everything. The funding gap makes our response even more challenging when people need us most."

Afghanistan's earthquake vulnerability and history

Geography works against emergency responders. Afghanistan sits in the middle of a continental deformation zone where massive tectonic plates grind against each other. This makes the region a hotspot for seismic activity, especially in the earthquake-prone Hindu Kush.

The pattern is sadly familiar. In June 2022, a massive earthquake in Paktika and Khost provinces killed over 1,000 people. The October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake shook multiple countries across the region. Each disaster exposes the same reality: Afghanistan's most at-risk communities bear the brunt of both natural disasters and ongoing crises.

The earthquake has devastated communities in Afghanistan, where 23 million people already depend on aid but funding remains critically short. Photo by: COAR (CARE partner)

Help save lives in Afghanistan

The earthquake struck as the country faces major funding cuts that have weakened its ability to respond. In addition, recent mass deportations from Pakistan and Iran have forced millions of displaced Afghans to return home, many of whom had left earlier due to ongoing conflict, economic hardship, and food insecurity.

Already struggling to feed its people, the country now faces even greater humanitarian challenges due to this influx. Nearly 23 million people, half the population, rely on humanitarian aid just to survive yet the international response plan has received only 30% of the necessary funding.

"I urge donors and the international community to act swiftly to help us reach families who have lost everything," said Davison. "Your support will enable CARE to deliver emergency shelter, food, medical care, and protection to those most in need."

Every minute counts-families need your help today

Your support helps deliver life-saving aid to people who need it most-including those in Afghanistan.

CARE works in over 100 countries worldwide, responding quickly in times of crisis to save livesand fight poverty. With a special focus on women and girls, CARE works with communities to build a safer, more equal world for everyone.