While still reeling from the August earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, the country was hit by another 6.3 magnitude quake in the north on November 3, 2025. The disaster left at least 27 people dead and nearly 1,000 injured across Samangan and Balkh provinces.
Afghanistan’s latest earthquake is not only a natural disaster, but a reminder of Afghanistan’s fragile state, where political instability, economic hardship, and environmental vulnerability intersect. In a country where the Taliban targets women with their gender-based restrictive edicts, disasters like earthquakes deepen gender inequalities and make recovery efforts harder.
According to local resident Asadullah Samangani, “People from other areas came to help, but our belongings are still under rubble and damaged. Our women are facing great difficulties, we do not have a toilet and we do not have a place where our women can spend the night.” Many survivors have been left no option but to sleep outside, with limited access to shelter, heating, and proper sanitation.
Humanitarian concerns are rising as reports emerge of widespread damage to healthcare infrastructure. Several health facilities in the area have reported partial damage and the main Samangan Provincial Hospital laboratory collapsed. The earthquake in the North strains the already limited medical services due to foreign aid cuts, Taliban’s edicts against women, and the shortage of medical staff.
This latest disaster deepens the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, particularly for women and children. Afghan women, already constrained by gender-based restrictions imposed by the Taliban that limit their movement, education, and employment, now face the double burden of displacement, loss, and lack of access to health services. Female-headed households and women who lost their male family members in recent earthquakes are among the most at risk due to their inability to move freely to access food, medical attention, and shelter. Additionally, it is hard to reach women in these remote areas where earthquakes have struck due to Taliban restrictions, making it difficult for aid workers to act.
As winter approaches, countless families are threatened with the possibility of no shelter or access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, and medical care. With dropping temperatures, time is running out for those who are vulnerable. Women and children are facing heightened risks of malnutrition and illness. Afghanistan is in dire need of international immediate and long-term support to prevent a worsening crisis during the brutal winter months that lie ahead – especially for women and girls.