A 4.0-kilometre (2.5 mi) deep earthquake measuring a magnitude (Mw) of 6.2 struck southeastern Afghanistan on 22 June 2022 at 01:24:36 AFT (on 21 June 2022 at 20:54:36 UTC). The earthquake had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). There were between 1,052 to 1,163 deaths and 1,627 to 2,976 injured in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The worst affected provinces in Afghanistan were Paktika, Paktia, Khost, and Nangarhar. Casualties and damage also occurred in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At least 10,000 homes collapsed or were severely damaged. The earthquake's shallow hypocenter, proximity to populated areas, and low building quality all contributed to its destructive effects. Shaking was felt over 500 km (310 mi) away by at least 119 million people, including Pakistan's Punjab and parts of India and Iran.
Earthquake
More than 7,000 people in Afghanistan have been killed by earthquakes in the past decade, averaging 560 deaths a year. A major earthquake in 2015 in northeast Afghanistan killed more than 200 people in the country and neighboring Pakistan. In 2008, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in western Pakistan killed 166 people and destroyed several villages from triggered landslides. Thousands died when earthquakes struck the country in 2002 and 1998.
Tectonic setting
A large portion of Afghanistan is situated in a broad zone of continental deformation within the Eurasian plate. Seismic activity in Afghanistan is influenced by the subduction of the Arabian plate to the west and the oblique subduction of the Indian plate in the east. The subduction rate of the Indian plate along the continental convergent boundary is estimated to be 39 mm (1.5 in)/yr or higher. Transpression due to the plates interacting is associated with high seismicity within the shallow crust. Seismicity is detectable to a depth of 300 km (190 mi) beneath Afghanistan due to plate subduction. These earthquakes beneath the Hindu Kush are the result of movement on faults accommodating detachment of the subducted crust. Within the shallow crust, the Chaman Fault represents a major transform fault associated with large shallow earthquakes that forms the transpressional boundary between the Eurasian and Indian plates. This zone consists of seismically active thrust and strike-slip faults that have accommodated crustal deformation since the beginning of the formation of the Himalayan orogeny. Seismicity is also recorded beneath the Sulaiman Range and Spīn Ghar. These earthquakes tend to display strike-slip faulting due to its abundance and high deformation rate.
Characteristics
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the shock as 6.0 Mww at 4 km (2.5 mi) depth. It released an energy yield equivalent to 475,000 tons of TNT— 37 times more powerful that the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported the magnitude at 5.9 Mw, and the Global Centroid Moment Tensor recorded 6.2 Mw at 15.1 km (9.4 mi) depth. India's National Centre for Seismology recorded the event as M 6.1 at 10 km (6.2 mi) depth.
The earthquake occurred in proximity to the North Waziristan–Bannu Thrust Fault Zone. From inferring InSAR data, the earthquake rupture process was complex; initiating along a primary northeast–southwest striking fault plane and triggering ruptures on three secondary fault planes branching outward. A maximum slip of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) occurred at 2 km (1.2 mi) depth and the rupture was concentrated within a 10 km (6.2 mi) × 8 km (5.0 mi) area along the fault. The primary fault displayed strike-slip displacements while the three secondary structures displayed oblique-thrust or strike-slip displacements. The rupture propagated northeast–southwest for 15 km (9.3 mi) from the epicenter. It produced surface ruptures with a maximum displacement of 78.4 cm (30.9 in).
Intensity
A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe) was estimated by the USGS. According to the USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response service, there was a 35 percent probability of shaking-related fatalities between 100 and 1,000. The service also stated that the disaster was potentially widespread. Approximately 13,000 people were within the zone of intensity VIII, and 30,000 people were exposed to VII (Very strong) shaking. Intensity VII shaking was felt in Paktika's Gayan District, while intensity V–VI (Moderate–Strong) was felt in Barmal District. An evaluation of damaged homes—of the clay brick type—and seismic effects reported by villagers indicate a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII–IX (Severe–Violent) around the rupture area.
Aftershocks
One hour after the mainshock, a mb 4.5 aftershock occurred 6 km (3.7 mi) south of the mainshock epicenter. Another aftershock measuring mb 4.2 was recorded on 24 June. It killed five people and wounded 11 more in Paktika, Afghanistan. The strongest aftershock occurred on 18 July, measuring Mww 5.1, centred in Zerok District, Paktika Province. Seven hours later, a mb 4.3 aftershock occurred south of the previous event. The Mww 5.1 aftershock injured at least 44 people and destroyed 600 homes which were previously damaged by prior earthquakes. A spokesman for Afghanistan's Disaster Management Ministry said fewer casualties were expected as it occurred during the day, unlike the mainshock which struck at night. Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, a provincial government spokesman, said Paktika experienced more than 30 aftershocks. On 22 August, a mb 4.6 aftershock struck at a depth of 35.9 km (22.3 mi), destroying several homes in Ster Giyan. On 23 August, a magnitude 4.6 aftershock caused several houses previously damaged by the mainshock in Gayan District to collapse.
Impact
Afghanistan
Bakhtar News Agency said there were at least 1,150 deaths and 1,600 wounded. The United Nations (UN) cited a death toll of 1,039 and 2,949 people injured. Among the casualties were 230 dead and 591 injured children. It is the deadliest earthquake in Afghanistan since 2002, when over 1,200 people were killed in Baghlan Province. About 10,000 homes were either partially or totally destroyed.
Poor construction practices and building materials contributed to the high death toll. Seismologist Lucy Jones said the destruction was attributed to the shallow earthquake focus and epicenter in a densely populated, landslide-risk area where buildings made of wood and mud are not earthquake-resistant. Weeks of heavy rain prior to the earthquake had also weakened the structural integrity of homes. Many houses constructed primarily of wood and mud were razed to the ground. Heavy rain and the earthquake also contributed to landslides that added to the destruction.
More than 25 villages were almost decimated; schools, hospitals, homes and mosques collapsed. Among the fatalities included 738 from Paktika, 381 in Paktia, 40 in Khost and five in Nangarhar.
In Urgun, a major town in Paktika Province, up to 40 bodies were recovered. In Gayan District, approximately 1,800 or 70 percent of the district's homes were destroyed and 238 people died. An additional 393 others were injured. In the village of Gayan, the local clinic with a capacity for five patients was heavily damaged. Of the 500 patients admitted, 200 died. In Barmal District, at least 500 people died and a thousand others were injured. At least 450 homes were destroyed in the district. Sixty-six schools were destroyed, 76 students died, and 149 others were injured across Gayan, Nika, Barmal and Zerok districts.
In Khost Province, at least 600 homes were destroyed. In Spera District, closest to the epicenter, 40 residents died and 95 others were injured. A total of 500 homes were destroyed in the district; the village of Afghan-Dubai was the worst affected.
Thirty Pakistani displaced persons who had shifted across the border to Afghanistan while Operation Zarb-i-Azb was underway in North Waziristan were among those killed in Afghanistan.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, 10 people died and 25 others were injured when a landslide buried a village in Khaisor, North Waziristan District. An estimated 600 people were affected in the district. Other injuries were also reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hospitals in North Waziristan District and South Waziristan District reserved amenities for possible patients. In Darra Pezu, Lakki Marwat District, a man died when a roof fell on him. Another death was caused by a roof collapse resulting from the combined effects of the earthquake and heavy rains. In Datakhel, North Waziristan, a checkpoint station collapsed, killing a soldier and injuring two. Some mud houses were also damaged. In Peshawar, Islamabad and Punjab, shaking caused panic among residents.
Aftermath
Homeless survivors sought refuge outdoors. Due to unpredictable weather conditions many were in desperate need of shelter. Others were invited to reside in the homes of their families or community members. Care International staff said most victims received head injuries, bone fractures and multiple wounds. They also said injured pregnant women were at risk of miscarriages. According to Save the Children, over 118,000 children were affected and 65 were orphaned.
Survivors dug through rubble by hand to rescue those trapped. A tribe leader from Paktika said many survivors and rescue workers rushed to attend to those affected. Some survivors were trapped beneath collapsed debris. Local businesses in the area were closed as people went to assist others. Hospitals in the region turned away patients due to insufficient resources. Several injured residents were airlifted out of the village. Medical professionals said there was a lack of painkillers and antibiotics. A number of injured patients also died on the way to hospitals; damaged roads further delayed their arrival.
Eighty-five percent of medical infrastructure including hospitals, clinics, and medical centers were destroyed or operated at reduced capacity. Some injured people were mobilized to Kabul and Ghazni for medical treatment. While many hospitals in the affected area were overworked, there was a low inflow of patients at hospitals in Kabul. Heavily damaged roads and the 177 km (110 mi) distance to Kabul from the worst affected areas prevented many patients from being transferred. Many hospitals in the capital city were capable of handling larger patient numbers. At Daoud Khan Military Hospital in Kabul, only five patients arrived via helicopter. In the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital there were no patients. At Sharana, the capital of Paktika Province, 75 people were brought for treatment. The hospital only had 72 beds and was already treating other people with illnesses. The severely injured could be operated as the hospital was ill-equipped and were moved to other facilities. Mass graves were prepared near villages to bury the dead. In some areas, residents could not bury dead bodies due to a lack of equipment.
The UN warned of a cholera outbreak in the affected area. On 7 August, there were more than 400 cases of cholera in Spera District, Khost. At least eight people—five children and three adults—died from the disease. Officials said most of the affected were women and children. The province health director said 40 mobile health teams would respond to the outbreak.
Domestic response
The Ministry of Disaster Management of the Islamic Emirate, along with other relevant officials including governors and other Afghan people are instructed to rush to the affected area as soon as possible, evacuate the martyrs, transport and treat the wounded and take essential steps to provide emergency assistance to the displaced.
We also call on the international community and all humanitarian organizations to help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and to spare no effort to help the affected people.
We ask God to save our poor people from trials and harms.
The government of Afghanistan launched rescue operation; rescue teams arrived via helicopters supplied by the Ministry of Defense. Many people were reported trapped beneath debris in Paktika Province. Rescue efforts were challenged by heavy rains, landslides and the remote setting of many villages. Officials expected the death toll to rise as recovery efforts continued.
Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada instructed the Ministry of Disaster Management and governors to "rush to the affected area as soon as possible" and asked the international community for humanitarian assistance. Hasan Akhund, the acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan, said 1 billion afghanis (around US$11.3 million) was allocated to needs of the affected population. He also authorized the transportation of relief items to the region. The Afghan Red Crescent Society brought blankets, tents and kitchen sets for affected residents.