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AFGHANISTAN (SEPT. 1, 2025) (MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF AFGHAN INTERIM GOVERNMENT” – RESTRICTED)

1. HELICOPTER LANDING

2. SOLDIERS CARRYING STRETCHERS

3. VARIOUS OF WOUNDED CIVILIANS BEING CARRIED FROM HELICOPTER AFGHANISTAN - SEPT. 1, 2025: The death toll from a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, when most of the residents were asleep, has climbed to over 600, as rescue operations continue, officials and local media reported Monday.

According to Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, some 610 deaths have been reported from Kunar province, while 12 people were killed in adjoining Nangarhar province, local broadcaster Tolo News reported.

More than 1,550 people, of them 1,300 in Kunar, have also been injured, he added.

The administration has deployed choppers to rescue and airlift the injured as roads are blocked due to landslides which are preventing rescue teams from reaching several affected areas, an Information Ministry official told Anadolu.

The death toll is likely to rise as many people are feared trapped under the rubble, the official added.

So far, 35 flights have been conducted from Nangarhar airport to Kunar, transporting 335 injured individuals to Nangarhar Regional Hospital, with efforts ongoing to transfer the remaining, Tolo News reported.

Locals described it as one of the most powerful earthquakes to have hit the country.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at 11.47 pm local time (1917GMT), located 27 kilometers (16.7 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad at a depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles).

Casualties have been reported in Nur Gal, Sawki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapa Dara districts of Kunar province.

The official said the figures for the number of dead and injured are not final because officials are still communicating with local residents in many remote areas and aid teams are on their way.

State-run Bhaktar news agency reported that 2,000 people have been injured.

Roads leading to Dewa Gul in Sawki district and Mazar Dara in Nur Gul district, in particular, have been blocked due to landslides.

At least two other earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 each struck the same area following the major one, according to the USGS.

The UN said it is assisting the local administration in rescue and relief operations.

"The UN in Afghanistan is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the eastern region & claimed hundreds of lives, injuring many more. Our teams are on the ground, delivering emergency assistance & lifesaving support. Our thoughts are with the affected communities," it said in a post on US social media company X.