You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistan offers support as Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800, injures 2,500

Pakistan offers support as Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800, injures 2,500

Civil defense workers, locals, and army soldiers prepare to evacuate injured victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed numerous villages in eastern Afghanistan, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, on Sept. 1, 2025. (AP)
Civil defense workers, locals, and army soldiers prepare to evacuate injured victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds and destroyed numerous villages in eastern Afghanistan, in Mazar Dara, Kunar province, on Sept. 1, 2025. (AP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/np3dh

Updated 1 min 20 sec ago

Pakistan offers support as Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800, injures 2,500

Pakistan offers support as Afghanistan earthquake kills over 800, injures 2,500
  • Magnitude 6 earthquake on Sunday night causes devastation in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nangarhar provinces
  • Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, with one in June 2022 killing at least 1,000 people across country
Updated 1 min 20 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered support to Afghanistan on Monday as it reels from one of its deadliest earthquakes, which officials say have killed over 800 people and wounded more than 2,500. 

The magnitude 6 earthquake killed at least 800 people and injured over 2,500 in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar when it took place on Sunday night, Afghan government spokesman Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid said. The jolts were felt in several areas of northwestern Pakistan on Sunday night, including the country’s capital Islamabad. However, Pakistan did not report any loss of lives from the calamity. 

“On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, I extend my heartfelt condolences & prayers to the bereaved families,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. “We stand in solidarity with our Afghan brothers & sisters in this hour of grief, and we are ready to extend all possible support in this regard.”

The earthquake leveled homes of mud and stone in Afghanistan’s areas bordering Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The quake was Afghanistan’s deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 1,000 people in the country. 

The devastation also prompted UN Secretary General António Guterres to offer support to Afghanistan. 

“The UN team in Afghanistan is mobilized and will spare no effort to assist those in need in the affected areas,” Guterres wrote on X. 

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

A series of earthquakes in its western region killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.

There are fears that the disaster will further stretch the resources of the country, which is already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighboring countries Pakistan and Iran. 

Topics: Pakistan earthquake Afghanistan

Pakistan August inflation cools to 3 percent, flood impact looms

Pakistan August inflation cools to 3 percent, flood impact looms
Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters

Pakistan August inflation cools to 3 percent, flood impact looms

Pakistan August inflation cools to 3 percent, flood impact looms
  • Economists say widespread crop damage could quickly feed into higher food inflation
  • Floods have killed 35 and affected over 2.3 million, swamping more than 2,200 villages
Updated 4 sec ago
Reuters

KARACHI: Pakistan’s consumer price inflation slowed to 3.0 percent year-on-year in August from 4.1 percent in July, data showed on Monday, though economists warned that weeks of flooding in Punjab province could put food prices under renewed pressure.

The Finance Ministry last week projected August inflation in a 4.0-5.0 percent range — down from double-digit annual readings through much of last year — citing stable macroeconomic conditions, improved manufacturing and agricultural support.

But the ministry warned that extreme weather posed a threat to farm sector growth, even at a time of improved agricultural credit and fertilizer supplies.

Authorities in Punjab, the country’s breadbasket, said more than 2.3 million people were affected and 35 killed in the floods that swamped more than 2,200 villages after heavy monsoon rains.

Economists say widespread crop damage could quickly feed into higher food inflation, which had eased in August on account of lower perishable prices.

On a month-on-month basis, consumer price inflation fell 0.6 percent in August, the statistics bureau said.

Topics: inflation in Pakistan consumer price index (CPI) food inflation

New polio case confirmed in Pakistan’s northwest, bringing 2025 total to 24

New polio case confirmed in Pakistan’s northwest, bringing 2025 total to 24
Updated 4 min 55 sec ago

New polio case confirmed in Pakistan’s northwest, bringing 2025 total to 24

New polio case confirmed in Pakistan’s northwest, bringing 2025 total to 24
  • Latest polio case reported in 20-month-old-girl from Pakistan’s northwestern Tank district
  • Development takes place as Pakistan carries out polio vaccination drive across 99 districts
Updated 4 min 55 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan reported a new polio case from the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Monday, taking the nationwide tally to 24 this year as authorities launched a fresh vaccination campaign in selected districts of the country today. 

The latest case was reported from the country’s northwestern Tank district, raising the number of polio cases reported from KP this year to 16. Pakistan’s southern Sindh province has reported six cases while Punjab and northern Gilgit-Baltistan have reported one case of the infection each.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only protection is repeated doses of oral vaccine for every child under five, along with timely routine immunizations.

“The latest polio case involves a 20-month-old girl from Union Council Ping A, District Tank,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme said in a statement. 

Pakistan launched a phase-wise polio vaccination campaign in 99 targeted districts across the country on Monday, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement. 

The NEOC said over 240,000 polio volunteers are participating in the drive. It said more than 4.1 million children will receive the vaccine in seven high-risk districts in Punjab while more than 8.9 million children will be vaccinated in 25 high-risk districts of Sindh. 

“In 26 high-risk districts of Balochistan, vaccination will be ensured for more than 2.1 million children,” the NEOC said, adding that more than 5.7 million children will be vaccinated in 27 high-risk districts of KP province.

The campaign will also cover Islamabad and two districts each of Azad Kashmir and GB, while it was postponed in nine districts of Punjab last week due to floods.

The NEOC urged parents to cooperate with polio teams and complete the immunization timely.

“Ensure that all your children under five years of age are given the polio drops,” the statement said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for your children on time to protect them from polio and other diseases.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. 

The country made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. Pakistan reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021, but the country saw a sharp resurgence in 2024 with 74 cases recorded.

Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994, but efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage.

Militant groups have also frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, often resulting in deadly attacks, particularly in KP and Balochistan.

Topics: anti-polio campaign Polio in Pakistan Rising polio cases

Pakistan militant violence surges to highest monthly level in a decade — think tank

Pakistan militant violence surges to highest monthly level in a decade — think tank
Updated 19 min 15 sec ago

Pakistan militant violence surges to highest monthly level in a decade — think tank

Pakistan militant violence surges to highest monthly level in a decade — think tank
  • Independent security body reports 143 militant attacks in August this year, a 74 percent rise from July
  • Deadliest month since 2014 leaves nearly 300 dead nationwide, including 74 security personnel
Updated 19 min 15 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan witnessed a sharp escalation in militant violence in August, with attacks reaching their highest monthly level in more than a decade, according to new data released on Monday by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The Islamabad-based independent think tank that tracks militancy recorded 143 militant attacks last month, a 74 percent increase compared to July. 

“With 143 militant attacks recorded, August became the deadliest month in over a decade, surpassing all monthly figures since February 2014,” PICSS said in its monthly report.

The wave of violence killed 194 people, including 73 security forces personnel, 62 civilians, 58 militants, and one member of a pro-government peace committee. Another 231 people were injured. Militants also abducted at least 10 individuals.

Security forces launched nationwide operations in response, killing at least 100 militants and arresting 31 others, PICSS said. These operations also caused the deaths of three civilians and one soldier.

When combining militant violence with counter-operations, the overall toll for August rose to at least 298 people killed and 250 injured. Fatalities included 158 militants, 74 security forces personnel, 65 civilians, and one peace committee member. 

The think tank noted a 100 percent increase in security forces’ deaths and a 145 percent rise in injuries compared to July.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

The northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which borders Afghanistan, saw the most severe escalation, recording 51 militant attacks in its tribal districts, a 200 percent increase from July, that left 74 people dead and 99 wounded.

Mainland KP’s settled districts were also hit hard, with 55 attacks killing 56 people, including 26 security personnel and 22 civilians. Overall, the province witnessed 106 attacks in August, the highest monthly figure in more than 10 years, PICSS reported.

Security forces carried out operations in Bajaur and North Waziristan, districts that have long served as hubs for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of militant factions aligned with the Afghan Taliban. 

At least 48 militants were killed in KP during operations and retaliatory fire.

BALOCHISTAN, SINDH, PUNJAB, GB

The restive southwestern province of Balochistan saw 28 attacks in August that killed 52 people, including 23 security personnel and 21 civilians. Militants kidnapped at least five people, while security operations killed 50 fighters, the highest number in Balochistan since June 2015, when 60 militants were reported killed. Security officials said those targeted included members of separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).

In Sindh province, six attacks were recorded, leaving eight people dead. Security forces arrested 11 suspected militants, all in the port city of Karachi.

Punjab reported two attacks, including a TTP assault in Dera Ghazi Khan. Security forces killed two militants in Mianwali and arrested one Islamic State-linked suspect in Okara.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote northern region bordering China, militants linked to the TTP struck Chilas district, killing two soldiers and injuring one.

PICSS also noted that Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad, was spared a major attack in August after the civilian Intelligence Bureau arrested a would-be suicide bomber and his handler. The group said the plot was linked to the TTP.

Militant violence in Pakistan has surged since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, which Islamabad says emboldened cross-border groups such as the TTP. The Taliban government in Afghanistan denies it supports the TTP or allows it safe havens. 

Topics: militancy in Pakistan Counter Terrorism militant violence

Two majors among five killed as Pakistan army helicopter crashes in Gilgit-Baltistan

Two majors among five killed as Pakistan army helicopter crashes in Gilgit-Baltistan
Updated 29 min 26 sec ago

Two majors among five killed as Pakistan army helicopter crashes in Gilgit-Baltistan

Two majors among five killed as Pakistan army helicopter crashes in Gilgit-Baltistan
  • ISPR says helicopter developed technical fault during routine training fight 
  • Police confirm crash occurred during test landing in Diamer’s Hudor area
Updated 29 min 26 sec ago
Nisar Ali

KHAPLU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: An army aviation helicopter crashed in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Monday, killing all five people on board, according to the military and police.

The crash took place around 10 a.m. in the Hudor area of Diamer district. Officials said the MI-17 helicopter developed a technical fault during a training flight and went down while attempting a test landing on a newly proposed helipad. 

Emergency services and local residents rushed to the scene but were unable to save those on board.

“On 1 Sep 25, at around 1000 hours, an MI-17 helicopter crash landed near Hudor village approximately 12 kilometers away from Thakdas Cantonment,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “The helicopter was on routine training flying when it developed technical fault and crashed. As a result, all crew members on board embraced shahadat.”

Details of those killed were provided by ISPR as: Major Atif (Pilot in Command), Major Faisal (Co-pilot), N/Sub Maqbool (Flight Engineer), Hav Jahangir (Crew Chief), and Naik Amir (Crew Chief).

District Police Officer Abdul Hameed told Arab News the helicopter went down in the Diamer district’s Hudor area as it was carrying out a test landing. He said police and rescue officials reached the site but the helicopter had already caught fire. Local residents assisted in extinguishing the blaze.

“Among the five killed, two were pilots and another three were technicians,” Hameed said.

Authorities declared an emergency at the Regional Headquarters Hospital (RHQ) in Diamer after the crash, Muhammad Ali Khan, a spokesperson for the hospital, told Arab News.

“All deceased are being brought to the hospitals where all doctors and staffs are alert,” he added.

Last month, a government helicopter carrying relief supplies to the flood-hit northwestern Bajaur region crashed due to bad weather, killing all five people on board. In September 2024, six people were killed when another helicopter crashed due to engine failure in northwest Pakistan. 

In 2015, a Pakistan army helicopter crashed in mountainous territory, killing seven people, including the Philippine and Norwegian ambassadors.

Topics: Pakistan Army helicopter crash

Pakistan uses drones to help rescuers evacuate thousands as floods devastate Punjab

Pakistan uses drones to help rescuers evacuate thousands as floods devastate Punjab
Updated 47 min 56 sec ago
AP

Pakistan uses drones to help rescuers evacuate thousands as floods devastate Punjab

Pakistan uses drones to help rescuers evacuate thousands as floods devastate Punjab
  • Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 700,000 people
  • Punjab government saays drones deployed this week in Multan, Jhang and other districts, with priority to save lives
Updated 47 min 56 sec ago
AP

JHANG, Pakistan: Emergency workers in Pakistan’s Punjab province used drones to find people stranded on rooftops by massive floods as the government expanded what it called its largest rescue operation, with more than 700,000 evacuated, officials said Monday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain in Punjab’s flood-hit districts and elsewhere in the country, where weeks of above-normal rainfall and the release of huge volumes of water from dams in neighboring India last week caused rivers to overflow into low-lying regions.

In Multan and Jhang districts, residents on Monday waded through floodwaters carrying their belongings to roadsides and higher ground. They said they had waited for rescuers before crossing on their own nearly 5-foot (1 1/2-meter) -deep water to reach safety, while many others remained stranded.

Since last week, rescuers, backed by the military and emergency services, have evacuated more than 700,000 people, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority. More than 500,000 farm animals were also moved to safety, he said.

“We are handling an unprecedented situation, and we are responding to the country’s biggest-ever floods by using the latest technology and all available resources to save lives,” Kathia told The Associated Press. The Punjab government said drones were deployed this week in Multan, Jhang and other districts.

“Our priority is to save lives and ensure a steady supply of essential items to survivors,” Kathia said. 

The deluge has swamped Narowal, Sialkot and Kasur districts while entire villages have been submerged in Jhang and Multan.

‘Everything is gone’

On dusty roadside embankments, displaced families complained of being abandoned.

“We have been destroyed. Everything is gone in the flood,” said Haleema Bibi, 54, who fled her damaged home in Jhang with seven relatives. They now shelter under the open sky without tents or food.

“Whatever we had to eat has nearly finished. You can see how miserably we are living,” she told The Associated Press.

Allah Ditta, a farmer from the same district, said he and his neighbors slept on plastic sheets and carts. “Rescuers came once by boat, but no one has brought us supplies. We keep looking to the road, hoping someone will come with help,” he said.

Authorities in Punjab say they had set up more than 1,000 relief camps, but government figures show that only about 36,550 of over 800,000 evacuees are housed in them. It is unclear where the vast majority were staying.

Evacuations also took place in southern Sindh province, where Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah warned of a possible “super flood” of the Indus River if water levels top 900,000 cubic feet per second.

Officials blame the catastrophic flooding on weeks of heavier-than-normal monsoon rains, compounded by cross-border waters released from India’s swollen rivers and dams last week. The Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers rose simultaneously, inundating wide swaths of farmland and villages.

India had alerted Pakistan about the water release, marking the rivals’ first public diplomatic contact since a military crisis brought them to the brink of war in May.

Punjab, home to some 150 million people and the country’s main wheat-growing region, has recorded 33 flood-related deaths in 10 days — far fewer than the catastrophic 2022 floods — but damage is widespread.

Pakistan’s weather center said Punjab received 26.5 percent more monsoon rainfall between July 1 and Aug. 27 compared with the same period last year. Nationwide, at least 854 people have died in rain-related incidents since late June.

Pakistan’s monsoon season typically lasts until the end of September.

Topics: Pakistan Floods 2025 Floods in Pakistan Monsoon 2025 Monsoon Floods

Latest updates

Saudi, Syrian ministers meet in Riyadh to boost digital cooperation
Saudi, Syrian ministers meet in Riyadh to boost digital cooperation
Egypt offers over 1,300 industrial plots to boost economic development 
Egypt offers over 1,300 industrial plots to boost economic development 
EU chief’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria
EU chief’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria
Saudi, US innovation helps patients manage several drugs with one capsule
Saudi, US innovation helps patients manage several drugs with one capsule
Storm forces flotilla back to Barcelona port, delaying its journey to Gaza
Storm forces flotilla back to Barcelona port, delaying its journey to Gaza

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version
© 2025 , All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.