Islamabad/Kabul, September 2, 2025: A magnitude-5.4 earthquake struck Islamabad, Peshawar, Swat, and several other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) Seismic Network.
The tremor, recorded at a depth of 22 kilometres, had its epicentre in southeast Afghanistan, close to the site of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated remote Afghan provinces late Sunday night. No immediate reports of damage were received in Pakistan from Tuesday’s quake.
The tremor came as Afghanistan grappled with the aftermath of Sunday’s powerful quake, which has killed at least 1,411 people and injured more than 3,124 in the eastern province of Kunar, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Tuesday. Calling it one of the country’s deadliest quakes in decades, he warned that casualties could rise further.
Another dozen people were reported dead in neighbouring Nangarhar province, where hundreds were also injured. Afghan officials said more than 5,400 houses were destroyed, leaving thousands of families without shelter.
Rescuers continued digging through rubble in inaccessible mountainous areas, with emergency shelters being set up in worst-hit districts. Afghan government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said efforts were hampered by blocked roads, but aid pledges were beginning to arrive.
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Indrika Ratwatte, warned that the devastation could affect “hundreds of thousands,” stressing the urgent need for international assistance.
The European Union has announced it will dispatch 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and provide €1 million ($1.2 million) in immediate aid. Several other countries have also pledged humanitarian assistance.
Afghanistan, already one of the world’s poorest nations, has seen international aid dwindle since the Taliban takeover in 2021, severely limiting its capacity to respond to natural disasters. The latest earthquake has once again exposed the fragility of the country’s infrastructure and the urgent need for global support.
