IOM seeks $16.8 million for Afghanistan earthquake victims

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) needs $16.8 million to help 134,000 people hit by devastating earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, according to a press release. Two major quakes struck within days of each other—a 6.0-magnitude tremor on August 31 followed by a 6.2-magnitude quake on September 4—killing over 2,100 people and affecting nearly 500,000 across Kunar, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces. Families who lost their homes now sleep in the open without shelter, food, or clean water as winter closes in.

Afghanistan was already drowning in crises before the earthquakes hit. More than 1.7 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan this year, joining hundreds of thousands already displaced within the country. The affected provinces house 3.7 million people, including nearly 800,000 who were already homeless or had recently returned. Economic collapse has left millions struggling to survive even basic hardships.

IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels painted a stark picture: “Families have lost everything and are now sleeping in the open, without proper shelter, food, or clean water. With winter fast approaching, their situation will only worsen without urgent support.”

The second earthquake triggered rockfalls that blocked roads, making it harder to reach survivors. IOM teams have still managed to help nearly 2,000 families and are working to reach 3,000 more.

Medical teams have treated over 1,200 people, including 96 serious trauma cases.
Without quick funding, relief workers cannot match the enormous needs facing communities as Afghanistan’s brutal winter approaches, potentially putting millions more lives at risk.