Earthquake in Afghanistan: Death count escalating as aftershocks persist

In the early hours of Monday, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0, as reported by the US Geological Survey (USGS), struck Afghanistan. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Jalalabad, and it was also felt in neighboring countries, India and Pakistan, but no reports of casualties or damage have been received yet.

The Taliban government has requested international aid following the disaster. According to official reports, around 7,000 houses in the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman have been destroyed. The majority of the reported deaths (2,217) and injuries (nearly 4,000) from the earthquake were in the northeastern province of Kunar, as stated by Vice-Government Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on the X online service.

Many areas affected by the earthquake are inaccessible, complicating rescue operations. Aid organizations have called for donations to aid in the relief efforts following the disaster.

Various international organizations have stepped up to help. Caritas Austria, with local partner organizations, is one such organization collecting funds. You can donate to Caritas Austria by using the IBAN AT23 2011 1000 0123 4560 with the keyword "Katastrophenfonds" at www.caritas.at/erdbeben-afghanistan.

The Austrian Red Cross is another organization accepting donations. You can donate to the Austrian Red Cross through Erste Bank or online at https://wir.roteskreuz.at/erdbeben-afghanistan-2025. The Austrian Red Cross IBAN is AT57 2011 1400 1440 0144, BIC: GIBAATWWXXX.

Global Empowerment Mission MENA is providing immediate critical supplies, and UNICEF is offering life-saving humanitarian assistance to over 400,000 people including more than 212,000 children affected. You can donate to UNICEF Austria at https://unicef.at/informieren/hilfsprojekte/asien/afghanistan/.

Diakonie is another organization accepting donations. You can donate to Diakonie Erste Bank with IBAN AT85 2011 1287 1196 6333, BIC: GIBAATWWXXX, with the spendenkennwort "Katastrophenhilfe" at www.diakonie.at/afghanistan-erdbeben-nothilfe.

Rescue operations are ongoing in the areas affected by the earthquake. The Taliban government has called on the international community for international aid. Let us come together to help those in need during this difficult time.