This week’s powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake in northern Afghanistan has destroyed more than 1,300 homes and has left at least 26 people dead and 1,172 injured, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report.
The hardest-hit areas were the northern provinces of Samangan and Balkh, where most of the destruction and casualties were reported. In Samangan alone, 595 homes were destroyed in the district of Aybak, followed by 306 in Feroz Nakhchir and 284 in Khulm, making it the most severely impacted province.
WHO said 21 health facilities sustained partial damage, including the Samanagan Provincial Hospital, the Bazar-e-Sokhta District Hospital, and the WHO-supported Balghali Primary Health Clinic. In Khulm District, the local hospital is now operating beyond capacity due to the influx of patients.
Emergency response teams, supported by WHO and humanitarian partners, were immediately deployed to the affected areas to deliver trauma care, emergency supplies, and psychosocial support, the report said.
Medical facilities in Balkh Regional Hospital, Samangan Provincial Hospital, and Khulm District Hospital have been treating survivors. Critical medical supplies—including trauma surgery kits, interagency emergency health kits, and pneumonia kits—have been delivered to key locations to support an estimated 62,600 patients, the report said.
However, challenges remain, the report said, adding that a shortage of female health workers is hampering access to care, especially for women and girls, and ongoing aftershocks are raising concerns about further damage and casualties.
The quake, which struck shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time near Mazar-e-Sharif, also affected Jawzjan, Sari Pul, Kunduz, and Baghlan provinces. Most casualties were recorded in Balkh (12 deaths, 635 injuries) and Samangan (13 deaths, 421 injuries).
WHO has called for urgent international support to bolster overwhelmed hospitals, reinforce medical staffing, and ensure uninterrupted access to health services for the displaced. A comprehensive damage and needs assessment is ongoing.
The earthquake comes at a time when Afghanistan’s fragile health system is already strained by economic instability and limited international assistance.
