Authorities say more than 800 people have died as floods and rubble hinder rescue efforts.
A magnitude 6 earthquake has hit Afghanistan near its border with Pakistan.
The death toll from Sunday night’s disaster has risen to more than 800 people, according to the government. Flooding and debris have hampered rescue efforts.
Here is more about what happened and why Afghanistan is vulnerable to earthquakes:
At 11:47pm (19:47 GMT) on Sunday, the earthquake shook Nangarhar and Kunar provinces in eastern Afghanistan. It was 8km (5 miles) deep, making it a shallow tremor.
Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage because the epicentre of the quake and seismic waves are closer to the Earth’s surface. Seismic waves from deep earthquakes have to travel a greater distance to get to the surface, which causes them to lose energy.
Twenty minutes after the first earthquake, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit north of Basawul in Nangarhar province. Since then, multiple tremors have struck near the provincial capital, Jalalabad, and Basawul with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 5.2.
The majority of the city’s buildings are low-rise structures made primarily from concrete and brick while the outskirts feature houses constructed with mud bricks and wood.
Jalalabad also is an agricultural producer. With the Kabul River flowing through the city, it grows citrus fruits and rice.
The death toll currently stands at 812, and more than 3,000 people have been injured, Afghan government spokesman Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid said .
Zabihullah said the casualties could rise further as rescue efforts continue in the mountainous area.
The intensity of earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, which ranges from 1 to 10.
What happened?
An earthquake of magnitude 6 is considered strong. Objects may fall, and houses may sustain damage.
The Ministry of Defence has dispatched 30 doctors and 800kg (1,764lb) of medicine to Kunar to assist hospitals that are overwhelmed with casualties, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his “full solidarity with the people of Afghanistan” in a post on X on Monday.
Guterres continued: “The @UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas.”
Iran has also offered humanitarian assistance.
“In these difficult moments and great tragedy, while expressing sincere condolences and solidarity with the great people of Afghanistan and the bereaved families, the Islamic Republic of Iran announces its full readiness to send relief, medical and humanitarian aid,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Flash floods hit Nangarhar province on Saturday, damaging roads and farmland.
Zakeria Shnizai, an earthquake geologist affiliated with the University of Oxford, explained that “due to the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan, flooding has severely hampered rescue operations by blocking roads, destroying bridges and isolating communities in the earthquake-affected area.”
“These challenges have made it extremely difficult for emergency teams to reach individuals who are injured or trapped under debris. The use of heavy equipment has been restricted, and the risk of landslides or rock avalanches has increased, as already reported,” Shnizai said.
He added that the delivery of critical aid such as food, water and medical supplies has also become harder, resulting in delays in response times.
“Research has shown that seasonal rains and weather conditions can intensify earthquake-induced vulnerabilities by triggering landslides, damaging access routes and disrupting communication lines,” Abdullah Ansari, a research professor at the Earthquake Monitoring Center at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman, told media.
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