Eight members of a returning refugee family die in Kabul outskirts after earthquake triggers wall collapse; only a young child survives
April 4, 2026: A devastating 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Kabul late Friday night, killing eight members of a refugee family who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran. The family was sleeping in a makeshift tent in the village of Ittefaq when a rain-weakened wall collapsed onto them. A neighbour, Mohibullah Niazi, who rushed to help, said he could hear their cries for a few minutes before silence fell. The only survivor, a three-year-old boy named Aarash, was rescued from the rubble with serious head injuries and is currently receiving treatment.
According to Taliban health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, the child remains under medical care. The family, led by a man identified as Najibullah, had returned just two weeks ago and were living in extremely poor conditions. Despite rescue efforts by neighbours and local responders, including Taliban authorities, the rest of the family—parents and six children—could not be saved. The tragedy highlights the vulnerability of returning refugees forced to live in temporary shelters.
The earthquake’s epicentre was located in the Hindu Kush region, a highly seismic zone. The tremor caused widespread damage across several provinces, destroying homes and affecting dozens of families. Afghanistan, prone to frequent earthquakes, has witnessed multiple deadly quakes in recent years, underscoring the fragile living conditions and lack of resilient infrastructure, especially for displaced populations.