The group, who recently returned to live in a tent near Kabul, died when a wall collapsed on them, their toddler the only one left alive
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 8:09pm, 4 Apr 2026Updated: 8:13pm, 4 Apr 2026An earthquake that struck Afghanistan overnight killed 12 people, including eight members of the same family, a government official and the Afghan Red Crescent Society said on Saturday.
A neighbour who helped in rescue efforts said that the eight who died, on the outskirts of Kabul, were a refugee family recently returned from neighbouring Iran.
The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at 8.42pm (1612 GMT) on Friday at a depth of 186km (115 miles) at the epicentre in northeastern Badakhshan province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
“As a result of this earthquake, unfortunately, 12 people were killed and four people were injured,” deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat posted on his official X account.
He said five houses were completely destroyed and 33 partially damaged in Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan provinces, affecting a total of 40 families.
