People inspect earthquake-struck houses in Khulm district, the area that suffered the heaviest destruction in northern Samangan province, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2025. A series of devastating earthquakes struck parts of post-war Afghanistan in August and November this year, respectively, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive property damage. (Photo by M.Fardin Nawrozai/Xinhua)
SAMANGAN, Afghanistan, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- A series of devastating earthquakes struck parts of post-war Afghanistan in August and November this year, respectively, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive property damage.
A 6.0-magnitude quake hit the eastern region of Afghanistan on Aug. 31 and was followed by several aftershocks in September with the epicenter in Kunar province, leaving at least 2,205 dead, more than 3,600 injured, and nearly 7,000 houses destroyed or partially damaged.
Similarly, another tremor measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted Afghanistan's northern region on Nov. 3, leaving over two dozen dead and injuring nearly 1,000 others in Samangan and the neighboring Balkh province.
Yousuf Hammad, spokesman of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, said the quake-affected people in Kunar have already received necessary assistance, suggesting that the quake-stricken families in the northern region, particularly in Samangan, need necessities to protect themselves from the chilly winter.
"I had a three-room house, but two rooms had been utterly destroyed, and another partially. We are living under a tent amid cold weather. We have escaped the devastating quake, but fearing the chilly weather could kill us," Hamayon, the head of a 10-member family, told Xinhua.
He lives in the mountainous Kholm district in Samangan province, where the expected snowfall in winter covers the area for months.
Just months away from winter, parts of Afghanistan, including Samangan and Balkh provinces, have been experiencing chilly weather, which serves as a curtain raiser for a snowy and freezing winter that begins in mid-December.
"Our utmost need is to receive assistance and build shelter as winter is nearing, as it is impossible to live under a tent," said Nasrudin, who was striving to rebuild his house, along with his nine-year-old daughter.
Decades of war and civil unrest have already impoverished Afghans, but the deadly quakes this year have doubled their miseries as many of the poverty-stricken people are largely dependent on foreign aid.
Confirming the miserable situation of the quake-affected region amid cold weather, the governor of Kholm district, Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Hamid, said that more than 2,200 houses had been destroyed.
"The winter is nearing. Although the aid agencies, businessmen and the Afghan government have to some extent provided humanitarian assistance, the people need their houses rebuilt. They need a kitchen and other accessories to live. We hope the world community could pay attention to us," Hamid told Xinhua. ■
A man inspects an earthquake-struck house in Khulm district, the area that suffered the heaviest destruction in northern Samangan province, Afghanistan, Nov. 17, 2025. A series of devastating earthquakes struck parts of post-war Afghanistan in August and November this year, respectively, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive property damage. (Photo by M.Fardin Nawrozai/Xinhua)
