Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes over the past decade
Major Earthquakes (2015–2025) Date Magnitude Location / Region Approx. Deaths Details October 26, 2015 7.5 Hindu Kush region (northeastern Afghanistan) ~117 in Afghanistan; ~272 total including Pakistan/India Al JazeeraAnadolu Ajansı One of Afghanistan’s strongest quakes in recent records. Anadolu AjansıWorlddata.info January 17, 2022 5.3 Qadis district, Badghis (western Afghanistan) ~26–30 Al JazeeraWikipedia Shallow quake; hundreds of homes destroyed, including damage to UNESCO’s Minaret of Jam. Wikipedia June 22, 2022 6.1–6.2 Eastern provinces: Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Nangarhar ~1,036 in Afghanistan; also many injured Al JazeeraWikipedia Shallow, violent quake. Homes collapsed; widespread devastation. Wikipedia September 5, 2022 5.1 Kunar (near Jalalabad) ~18 deaths, ~42 injured Al JazeeraWikipedia Moderate damage in Kunar and neighboring areas. Wikipedia March 21, 2023 6.5 Badakhshan (northeast) ~21 in Afghanistan and Pakistan Al JazeeraWikipedia Intermediate depth; also affected neighboring Pakistan. Wikipedia October 2023 6.3 Herat province (western Afghanistan) ~1,480 to ~2,445 deaths Al JazeeraWikipediaBritish Red CrossAP News Series of quakes on Oct 7, 11, and 15. Massive destruction and casualties, up to ~9,420 injured. WikipediaBritish Red CrossAP News August 31, 2025 6.0 Eastern provinces: Kunar, Nangarhar, near Jalalabad 600–812+ deaths, 2,500–2,800+ injured Al JazeeraFinancial TimesThe Washington Post Quake struck at midnight. Landslides hampered rescue; entire villages destroyed; dire humanitarian crisis. Financial TimesThe Washington PostReuters Summary Strongest quake: October 2015 (M 7.5). Deadliest single-event: October 2023 (Herat quakes), with casualties ranging between roughly 1,480 and 2,445. Eastern region vulnerability: Repeated powerful quakes in Kunar, Nangarhar, and nearby areas—most recently in mid-2025—highlight persistent seismic risk. Shallow quakes: Events like those in June 2022 and January 2022 caused significant damage due to shallow depth and poor building resilience.