A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, and Nuristan provinces in eastern Afghanistan on the night of August 31, 2025, at 23:47 local time. The quake was shallow (depth: ~8km) and its epicenter was located in Nurgal District, Kunar Province. Tremors were felt across neighboring provinces, Kabul, and parts of Pakistan.
Earthquake Impact Metrics
As of September 4, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) confirmed:
- Fatalities: 2,205
- Injuries: 3,640
- Homes Damaged: 6,782
Miyamoto International’s engineering team conducted a rapid structural assessment through satellite imagery, photos, videos, and interviews with local engineers to understand damage trends and structural performance in affected areas.
Key Findings
Environmental Risks
- Landslides and rockslides are a growing concern due to the steep terrain.
- Earthquake-induced shaking reduced shear strength of soil and rock, leaving affected villages vulnerable to further hazards—especially during aftershocks or rainfall.
- Road access to several villages is severely restricted due to debris and terrain instability, delaying relief and assessment efforts.
Housing Typology
- Buildings in Kunar follow vernacular construction practices:
- Multi-story structures
- Flat roofs
- Built from local materials: stone, mud bricks, timber
- Homes are adapted to steep mountain slopes, often tiered, where roofs serve as terraces for upper-level homes.
Construction Materials
Foundations:
- Dry stone (no mortar)
- Stone with mud mortar
- Earth/mud-based foundations
- Rounded stones used in stem walls contributed to displacement during shaking
Walls:
- Made with adobe (mud bricks), cob (wet mud), and stone
- Some reinforced with embedded wooden timbers
- Use of rounded stones and thin wall cross-sections led to instability
- Many buildings had unplanned vertical extensions, reducing wall thickness-to-height ratios
Roofs:
- Flat roofs made of wood planks, beams, and soil up to 50 cm thick
- Annual mud plastering adds weight, increasing seismic mass
- Resulting in greater wall failures due to overload during seismic shaking
Immediate Recommendations
- Comprehensive Building Safety Assessments: Determine habitability, prioritize urgent repairs, and classify buildings by damage level.
- Safe Shelter Design and Planning: Provide shelter that respects local culture and is structurally safe.
- Construction Training and Knowledge Sharing: Build local capacity for safer reconstruction using available materials.
- Hazard Mapping and Risk Reduction: Identify zones at risk of future landslides and guide future development accordingly.
Next Steps
Miyamoto International is coordinating with local partners and humanitarian agencies to plan on-the-ground engineering support. We will continue to monitor, share technical guidance, and assist in recovery planning focused on resilience, safety, and local context.
