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SITUATION OVERVIEW
Nearly two weeks after the 3 November 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, the true scale of the devastation is becoming clearer. Updated joint assessments confirm 26 people killed, 1,172 injured, and 3,027 families affected across six provinces.
The quake – felt as far as Kabul, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan – hit hardest in Samangan and Balkh, where the epicentre between Khulm and Mazar-i-Sharif shook communities as families slept.
Across the affected region, 874 homes are now confirmed destroyed and 2,153 damaged, leaving thousands exposed to freezing temperatures and reliant on temporary shelter or the generosity of neighbours. While major roads remain open, the districts of Feroz Nakhchir, Khulm, Hazrat Sultan, Sholgara and Marmul remain the operational priority due to the scale of loss and structural vulnerability.
Assessments from 26 communities reveal severe disruption to daily life: schools and learning spaces, 91 in total, have been damaged; 18 water sources are no longer usable; and hygiene conditions have deteriorated sharply, with most communities lacking soap and functional handwashing facilities. Psychological distress is rising among children and caregivers, and winterisation gaps are widening by the day. As temperatures continue to drop across northern Afghanistan, the humanitarian situation is shifting from immediate shock to an urgent race against winter.