TEHRAN – The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Pirhossein Kolivand, has announced readiness to send relief supplies and rescue forces to assist people impacted by the earthquake in Afghanistan.

“It is with profound sorrow that we learned about the devastating earthquake that hit Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, and Laghman in eastern Afghanistan, causing many losses of life and injuries. The Iranian Red Crescent Society offers sincere condolences to you and the family of the victims. We stand by the people of Afghanistan, and we are ready to dispatch humanitarian aid as well as relief teams in case needed,” Kolivand wrote in a message to the president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), Shahabuddin Delawa, on Monday.

On August 31, at 23.47 local time, a 6+ magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province near the Pakistan border. The epicenter was located in Kama district, some 30 km northeast of the city of Jalalabad. Several aftershocks have occurred since, with the initial quake felt in neighbouring provinces including Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan, as well as Kabul. The quake’s hypocenter was estimated at only 8 to 10 km beneath the surface, exacerbating the quake’s impact.

Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Health Ministry, told local Shamshad TV that so far 1,000 people have been killed, mostly in Kunar province.

He said the number of casualties could rise further as rescue operations continue in remote and mountainous areas where access remains difficult. Nearly 3,000 people have been injured. Nangarhar, Laghman, and Panjshir are the other three provinces affected by the earthquake, Anadolu reported.

On Monday, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy in the “friendly and brotherly” nation of Afghanistan. He also wished a swift recovery for the injured.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately conveyed sympathy to the Afghan people and the families of the victims, emphasizing that Iran was fully prepared to dispatch relief and medical teams to the quake-hit areas.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei echoed the pledge, stressing that Iran stands ready to support the treatment of the injured and to work with Afghanistan through regional and joint cooperation to ease the suffering caused by the disaster.

MT/MG