ActionAid is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan on Saturday, August 31, 2025, causing immense damage across Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces. The 6.0-magnitude earthquake has killed over 1,411 people, injured 3,124 and left a trail of destruction to key infrastructure.
Commenting on the situation, Jagat Patnaik, the Head of Asia Region at ActionAid International, said:
“The scale of this tragedy is heartbreaking. We are concerned about the welfare of the affected communities, particularly women and girls who face heightened vulnerabilities in emergencies. The most urgent needs on the ground are emergency healthcare support, food, clean water, search and rescue teams, and equipment.
ActionAid is working closely with local partners to assess the situation, ascertain the emergency support and funding required, and coordinate a response.”
ActionAid has been working in Afghanistan since 2005 and is operational in Nangarhar and Laghman, two of the affected provinces. We are coordinating with partners to carry out a rapid assessment.
Srikanta Misra, the Country Director of ActionAid Afghanistan, said:
“More than 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake, and the needs are immense. Sadly, the affected areas were already grappling with several challenges, including food shortages, with one in five people facing hunger and nearly three million suffering from severe malnutrition.
With the public service system already stretched to its limits, we are racing against time to provide swift humanitarian assistance.
ActionAid Afghanistan is working tirelessly to provide support to communities in areas where we operate and beyond. We have deployed teams to conduct assessments of the most pressing needs. We are working with partners to provide food and non-food items like tents, blankets, and hygiene supplies.”
ActionAid urges the international community to respond swiftly with humanitarian aid to the affected communities.
ENDS
Srikanta Misra is in Kabul and is available for media engagements. For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working with more than 41 million people living in more than 71 countries, including some of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just, fair, and sustainable world in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality and to eradicate poverty, including by shifting power to local organizations and movements.
ActionAid’s work in Afghanistan
In 2025, ActionAid Afghanistan’s response work covers 17 provinces, 115 districts, and 3,306 villages, with 16 ongoing projects.
