UN Races to Aid Victims as Fresh Quake Hits Afghanistan

The Shrine of Hazrat Ali in Mazar-i-Sharif was reportedly damaged in the latest quake to hit Afghanistan.

UN teams rushed to northern Afghanistan on Monday after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck overnight — just two months after a massive quake devastated the country’s eastern region.

Initial reports indicated that at least 20 people were killed and hundreds injured in the latest disaster.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said first responders from the UN agency were already “on the ground” providing care for the injured.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) also highlighted its support for affected communities as rapid assessments began.

Reports suggest the earthquake struck near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif around 1 a.m. local time, causing buildings to collapse on sleeping residents. Footage shared on social media from the city’s Shrine of Hazrat Ali — also known as the Blue Mosque — showed people stepping over rubble scattered across the sacred site.

While fatalities were reported in the mountainous province of Samangan, initial aerial assessments showed less destruction than initially feared. The UN flyover, conducted with Swiss assistance, also found no signs of mass displacement that might have been expected had the quake been more severe.

“We went over the main populated areas where most settlements are located in the earthquake-affected zone. Thankfully, we saw very little widespread devastation compared to the scenes we witnessed in Kunar just a few weeks ago,” said Richard Trenchard, the UN’s top humanitarian official ad interim in Afghanistan.

Still Reeling from Kunar Quake

The latest crisis follows a magnitude 6.0 earthquake on 31 August that destroyed thousands of homes and key infrastructure in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The disaster uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and left nearly half a million in need of urgent medical assistance.

“What began as an acute emergency has now evolved into a displacement crisis, where families endure extended stays in temporary settlements amid escalating health risks,” the WHO said.

The UN agency also warned of limited access to safe drinking water, widespread open defecation, and inadequate healthcare for women — largely due to “the absence of female staff and the lack of privacy.”

Maternal and newborn health needs remain critical amid deep funding cuts for aid operations, the WHO noted, along with challenges in immunization, noncommunicable disease management, and mental health support.

On the ground, UN agencies and their partners stressed that collaboration and local leadership will be essential for an effective recovery response. Efforts are underway to pre-position supplies, mobilize surveillance teams to prevent disease outbreaks, and prepare damaged hospitals to resume operations.