Afghanistan Earthquake: Panic Among Citizens, Fear of Returning Home as Death Toll Crosses 2,200

The devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan on September 1 has claimed thousands of lives and destroyed several villages. People remain too afraid to return to their homes and are taking shelter under the open sky. Relief is moving slowly, children are facing the worst hardships, and international agencies are warning that the crisis could worsen further.

The earthquake that shook Afghanistan on September 1 has completely altered the lives of thousands of people. The powerful tremors that hit Kunar province left more than 2,200 people dead and over 3,600 injured. Entire villages were reduced to rubble, and the continuous aftershocks that followed triggered massive landslides, with boulders crashing down from the mountains, worsening the destruction.

Fear continues to dominate the lives of Afghan citizens, who now refuse to return to their shattered villages. Many believe that further tremors could strike at any moment, causing heavy rocks to tumble from the mountainsides. Families are living out in the open—along fields, roadsides, and riverbanks—without proper shelter. A large number of survivors do not even have tents to shield them from the weather.

In Masood village of Kunar, 67-year-old farmer Adam Khan explained his plight. His home has been completely destroyed, leaving him with no tent and no safe place to stay. “It rained last night, but we still remained under the open sky and did not return to the village. We are afraid that stones from above could fall at any time,” he said.

In Shahidan village, another farmer, Shams-ur-Rahman, revealed that six of his relatives lost their lives in the earthquake. He and his family have now taken refuge by the roadside, unwilling to go back to their damaged homes. “Even if there are no more tremors, the rains can cause rocks to fall at any time. We will not return to our village. The government must provide us with a new place to live,” Rahman stressed.

Afghanistan’s poverty-stricken condition has made the disaster even more unbearable. The country already suffers from a severe lack of infrastructure, with limited access to roads, hospitals, and permanent housing. Many villages are located hours away from towns or highways, leaving them isolated. Most of the homes were built with mud and stones, which collapsed instantly during the tremors.

Thousands of survivors are now staying in makeshift relief camps. Humanitarian organizations have begun sending food and essential supplies by helicopter, but the distribution remains slow and irregular. Survivors complain that they are not receiving meals consistently and the aid is far from sufficient to meet the scale of the disaster.

Children are enduring the harshest suffering.

Twelve-year-old Sadiq was trapped under debris for 11 hours before being rescued alive. His grandmother and cousin, however, did not survive. Still traumatized, Sadiq recalls his experience: “I thought I was going to die. It felt like the Day of Judgment had arrived.” His story reflects the deep psychological scars left on the young survivors of this catastrophe.

International agencies have raised concerns that if food, clean water, medical care, and proper shelter are not delivered urgently, the country could face rising disease outbreaks and worsening poverty. Afghanistan is already among the world’s poorest nations and one of the most earthquake-prone. Aid groups warn that without timely intervention, the situation could deteriorate into an even greater humanitarian crisis that demands immediate global attention.