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London's Afghan community devastated as aftermath of powerful earthquake unfolds
Londoners with ties to Afghanistan say they are feeling the shock of a series of earthquakes that hit the country's eastern provinces over the past two days, as the death toll continues to rise.
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"We were extremely shocked and obviously very upset over it," said London resident Nagina Amini, whose family is originally from Afghanistan.
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"We were hoping that there wouldn't be many casualties. We were hoping that people would survive and it wouldn't be something too extreme, but when we heard the earthquake was felt all the way to Islamabad [Pakistan], we figured it's an impact that is not going to be forgotten soon," she said.
Sunday's 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces, destroying villages and trapping people under the rubble of homes.
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The death toll passed 1,400 on Tuesday, according to a post on social media from Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. More than 3,000 other people have been injured, he added.
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Two days after the first quake, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the country again.
Londoners with ties to Afghanistan say they are feeling the shock of a series of earthquakes that hit the country's eastern provinces over the past two days, as the death toll continues to rise.
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"We were extremely shocked and obviously very upset over it," said London resident Nagina Amini, whose family is originally from Afghanistan.
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"We were hoping that there wouldn't be many casualties. We were hoping that people would survive and it wouldn't be something too extreme, but when we heard the earthquake was felt all the way to Islamabad [Pakistan], we figured it's an impact that is not going to be forgotten soon," she said.
Sunday's 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck several provinces, destroying villages and trapping people under the rubble of homes.
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The death toll passed 1,400 on Tuesday, according to a post on social media from Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. More than 3,000 other people have been injured, he added.
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Two days after the first quake, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the country again.
"I felt devastated when I heard the news," said Abdul Katawazy, who previously worked for the now-fallen Afghan government as an advisor to the minister of commerce.
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While Katawazy doesn't have any family in the affected regions, he said he is in several social media groups where people are posting firsthand accounts of the destruction.
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"They're feeling very helpless, devastated and not sure what to do. It's a terrible situation to be in," Katawazy said.
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"What I heard is that entire communities have basically been flattened," he said. "I believe this is a human tragedy of enormous scale. The earthquake was very shallow and violent, and the worst destruction is in the rural district."
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Amini's sister's in-laws are from Jalalabad, which is near the epicenter of Sunday's earthquake.
Abdul Katawazy, a former Western University masters student, has ties to Afghanistan. While none of his family members were impacted by Sunday's earthquake, he says he has been "devastated" by the news. (Submitted by Abdul Katawazy)
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"[My sister] called us and she told us what happened because her in-laws got calls from their family members back home. Within a few minutes [of the earthquake], the phone calls started coming in," she recalled.
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Amini said she's already seen online fundraising campaigns working to send aid to Afghanistan, adding that most of the Afghan-Canadian community is touched by the tragedy, even if they don't have direct ties to areas affected by the earthquake.
"Back home, there's not a single person that has not felt or experienced some sort of tragic event – even Afghans that are outside of Afghanistan for 10, 20 or 50 years," she said. "Whether it's been a death in the family, an assassination, a bombing or anything, we've been impacted by that. If it's a natural disaster like the earthquake here, everyone feels it because they remember their own tragic event."
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"That's our culture. When something like that happens, we come together to mourn together."
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Infrastructure not built for earthquakes
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Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, and Sunday's quake was the third major one since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
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"It's a very mountainous terrain, and from what I know, countries or regions which have a lot of mountains are prone to have a lot of earthquakes," Katawazy said.
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"The worst part is that the very fragile mud brick infrastructure makes the casualties very high when something like this happens, so it makes the tragedy a lot worse," he added.
An Afghan man reacts as he stands amidst the rubble of a collapsed house after a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan around midnight, in Dara Noor, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, September 1, 2025. (Sayed Hassi/Reuters )
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Amini agreed that the country is not equipped for earthquakes, but said she doesn't think that will change any time soon.
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"There's so many other concerns," she said, pointing to war, job security and getting food on the dinner table. "I think back home, their concern is about survival at this point. Rules and safety comes after."
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However, Katawazy is using the latest destruction as a reason to urge governments worldwide to help improve the country's infrastructure.
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"[Afghanistan is] not prepared. They don't have the resources. That's why we call on the international community to step up, and provide their support," he said.
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