The United Nations on Sept. 9 launched an emergency appeal for $139.6 million to assist nearly half a million people affected by a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, saying rapid funding is needed to deliver life‑saving aid ahead of winter.
The four‑month response plan aims to reach 457,000 people in the provinces of Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar after a magnitude‑6.0 quake on Aug. 31 and subsequent aftershocks killed at least 2,210 people and injured more than 3,600, Afghan authorities and U.N. officials said. Rescue operations concluded Tuesday, officials said, but many communities remain cut off by damaged roads and rugged terrain.
The U.N. said the plan, which runs through the end of the year, would allow humanitarian organisations to scale up operations — particularly to high‑elevation areas that are difficult to reach and at risk of being further isolated by winter weather. "This is a moment where the international community must dig deep and show solidarity with a population that has already endured so much suffering," Indrika Ratwatte, the U.N.'s Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said in a statement.
Local authorities reported more than 6,700 homes damaged or destroyed across the affected provinces. The U.N. said it has so far been able to visit only 49 of the 411 villages reported as affected because damaged roads and the mountainous landscape make many areas accessible only by helicopter.
Health officials said medical facilities are stretched and struggling to treat the injured. Naqib Rahemi, a spokesman for Nangarhar province's health department, gave the official death toll of 2,210. Humanitarian groups on the ground are distributing food, shelter materials and medical care, but U.N. agencies said scaled funding is required to reach remote communities before winter conditions set in.
The U.N. appeal outlines priorities including urgent healthcare, emergency shelter and non‑food items, water and sanitation, and winter‑proofing shelters and supply routes. Aid agencies also plan to support early recovery measures to restore basic services and help families rebuild, the statement said.
Access constraints have complicated the response. Some of the hardest‑hit districts are accessible only by air, and weather forecasts for the coming months raise concern about the ability to move supplies and personnel. The U.N. said increased resources would also support logistics and transport, including airlifts to isolated areas.
The appeal follows other humanitarian pleas for Afghanistan, where years of conflict, strong seasonal weather and underdeveloped infrastructure have repeatedly hampered relief efforts. The U.N. and partner organisations said they will prioritise the most vulnerable, including widows, elderly people, children and those with disabilities, as they distribute aid under the emergency plan.
The U.N. encouraged donors to contribute immediately to the response plan so assistance could be scaled up quickly. Without prompt funding, agencies warned, many families in high‑altitude villages may face heightened risks from exposure, food insecurity and lack of medical care as winter approaches.