The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that 12 Portuguese citizens were in Afghanistan when a 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook the country, resulting in over 800 deaths.
The information was confirmed to Notícias ao Minuto by a source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who noted that none of the citizens were injured.
“We have reports of 12 nationals living in Afghanistan, working for various international organizations,” the source added.
In a post on the social media platform X, the ministry had already “deeply regretted the consequences of the earthquake in Afghanistan” on behalf of the entire Government.
The statement further adds that Portugal “expresses solidarity with the Afghan people and is prepared to support the rescue operations of the UN and the Red Crescent.”
O Governo português lamenta profundamente as consequências devastadoras do sismo no Afeganistão, que causou centenas de vítimas mortais e milhares de feridos.
🇵🇹 expressa solidariedade ao povo afegão e dispõe-se a apoiar as ações de salvamento da ONU e do Crescente Vermelho.
— Negócios Estrangeiros PT (@nestrangeiro_pt) September 1, 2025
It is noted that eastern Afghanistan was struck by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, followed by several aftershocks, on Sunday night.
The 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:47 PM local time (8:17 PM in Lisbon) and was followed by at least two aftershocks measuring 5.2.
According to the latest tally from the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, at least 800 people died and more than 1,500 were injured after the earthquake.
The United States Geological Survey indicated the earthquake’s epicenter was located 42 kilometers from Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, at a depth of just eight kilometers, which exacerbated the level of destruction.
The tremors caused numerous landslides that blocked the few existing roads, completely isolating dozens of villages.
Journalists from the news agency France-Presse (AFP) felt the tremors in Kabul for several seconds, as did those in Islamabad, the capital of neighboring Pakistan, 370 kilometers away in a straight line.
In addition to the main quake, tremors and aftershocks were recorded in Pakistan, although no casualties or material damage have been confirmed so far, according to Pakistani television Geo TV.
On the Richter scale, an earthquake with a magnitude between 6 and 6.9 is classified as strong, capable of causing destruction within a hundred kilometers around the epicenter.
Afghanistan frequently experiences earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
