2025 Kunar earthquake
Destruction in Kunar Province | |
Kabul Islamabad | |
| UTC time | 2025-08-31 19:17:34 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 643933543554 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 31 August 2025 |
| Local time | 23:47:34 AFT (UTC+4:30) |
| Magnitude | Mw 6.0 |
| Depth | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Epicenter | 34°42′22″N 70°47′35″E / 34.706°N 70.793°E |
| Type | Thrust |
| Areas affected | Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan and Panjshir Provinces, Afghanistan |
| Total damage | US$183 million |
| Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent) |
| Aftershocks | 39+ ≥Mw 4.0 Mw 5.6 on 4 September 2025 (strongest) |
| Casualties | 2,217 deaths, 4,000+ injuries |
On 31 August 2025, at 23:47 AFT (19:17 UTC), an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) struck eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. The epicenter of the quake was located in Nurgal District, Kunar Province. It had a hypocenter 8 kilometres (5 miles) beneath the surface, and the shaking had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) in Nurgal. Several geological and structural factors led to a heavy impact for the earthquake's relatively moderate size, with at least 2,200 deaths, 4,000 injuries and 8,000 collapsed homes; almost all of the casualties and destruction occurred in five districts of Kunar Province, where most buildings were damaged or destroyed, with nearby provinces also suffering damage and casualties. It was the deadliest earthquake to affect Afghanistan since 1998.