What is an earthquake?
An earthquake is a sudden jolt followed by strong shaking that can last a few seconds or up to a couple of minutes. It's caused when tension is released from inside the crust and pressure builds along plate boundaries. When this pressure is eventually released, an earthquake can occur. The most severe damage caused by an earthquake will happen close to the epicentre, the point where the pressure is released on the Earth’s surface. This can cause buildings to collapse, trigger landslides and, in coastal areas, tsunamis.
Earthquakes can happen at any time of year, day or night. Each year, there are about a million earthquakes around the world. However, only about 100 of these will cause serious damage.
Every year, earthquakes kill thousands of people and displace millions more—and children are among the most vulnerable. When buildings collapse, infrastructure fails, and communities are torn apart in seconds, children face dangers that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
In earthquake-prone regions of Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, millions of children live in homes and go to schools that may not withstand major tremors. While millions of earthquakes occur globally each year, around 100-150 cause significant damage—often in areas where poverty means families have few resources to recover.
Save the Children has responded to major earthquakes in Afghanistan, Morocco, Myanmar, Turkey, Syria, and Nepal, providing emergency relief and long-term support to help children and families rebuild their lives.
How is an Earthquake measured?
An Earthquake's magnitude is measured using the Richter scale:
4.2 - Resembling vibrations caused by heavy traffic.
4.5 - Felt by people walking; rocking of free standing objects. Dishes, windows, and doors rattle. Walls creak. Parked cars rock.
4.8 - Sleepers awakened and bells ring.
5.4 - Trees sway, some damage from overturning and falling object.
6.1 - People have trouble standing. Plaster and bricks may crack and fall. Considerable damage to poorly built buildings.
6.5 - Walls, chimneys, and tree branches break and fall. Some poorly built buildings may collapse. Tall structures may twist and fall.
6.9 - Ground begins to crack and pipes break. Well-built buildings considerably damaged.
7.3 - The ground cracks. Water splashes over the banks of rivers. Railroad tracks bend.
8.1 - Highways, railroads tracks, bridges and underground pipelines are destroyed. Most buildings collapse. Large cracks appear in the ground.
> 8.1 - Destruction of buildings and transportation systems. Almost everything is destroyed. The surface of the ground moves in waves or ripples. The ground is covered with cracks and holes.
How Earthquakes Affect Children
Children face distinct dangers during and after earthquakes—dangers that can have lasting impacts on their health, safety, education, and wellbeing.
Physical danger and injury
When earthquakes strike, children are often in schools, homes, or other buildings that may collapse. Their smaller bodies make them more vulnerable to crush injuries and debris. In the aftermath, medical facilities are frequently damaged or overwhelmed just when injured children need urgent care.
After the October 2023 earthquakes in Afghanistan's Herat province, thousands of children were left exposed to harsh conditions with limited access to healthcare. Many had injuries that required immediate treatment, but hospitals were damaged and medical supplies were scarce.
Separation from families
In the chaos following a major earthquake, children can become separated from parents and caregivers. When families are displaced to emergency shelters or scattered across different locations, finding each other becomes difficult. Unaccompanied children face heightened risks of exploitation and abuse.
Loss of homes and exposure to elements
Earthquakes leave families living in damaged buildings or makeshift shelters, exposed to extreme weather. Children sleeping in tents or under plastic sheeting face cold nights, rain, and snow—conditions that make them vulnerable to illness, especially respiratory infections and hypothermia.
As one father told Save the Children after the June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake: “My nephew Farid* (4), asked me why I had brought him back to the house. I told him that we are going to re-build the house for you, and you will be living in the house again. He told me that he will destroy the house so we can’t come back to it again [because he is so scared of living there].”
Fear and psychological trauma
Children who experience earthquakes often develop intense fear of further tremors. They may have nightmares, refuse to go inside buildings, and struggle with anxiety that affects their ability to play, learn, and develop normally. Aftershocks—which can continue for weeks or months—compound this trauma.
After the June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake, Save the Children staff reported that children were terrified to return to their homes, even those that remained standing, because they feared another earthquake would strike.
Disruption to education
Schools are often damaged in earthquakes or converted into emergency shelters for displaced families. This disrupts education for months—sometimes permanently. When families lose everything, sending children back to school becomes impossible as they need them to help with survival and rebuilding.
The longer children are out of school, the less likely they are to return. This particularly affects girls, who may be kept home to help with household responsibilities or married off due to economic desperation.
Water, sanitation, and disease risks
Earthquakes damage water systems, toilets, and sanitation infrastructure. Children are especially vulnerable to waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhoea when clean water becomes scarce and hygiene conditions deteriorate. Malnutrition often follows when food supplies are disrupted and families lose their livelihoods.
Major earthquakes affecting children in recent years
Damaged buildings that were destroyed by the 6.0 magnitude earthquake which devastated parts of Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, on the 1st September 2025.
Afghanistan Earthquake 2025
Two powerful earthquakes have struck northern Afghanistan, forcing children and families to flee their homes in the middle of the night. Families across northern Afghanistan are now facing freezing temperatures with homes destroyed or damaged.
This latest earthquake comes just two months after a 6.0 earth quake killed nearly 2,000 people in Eastern Afghanistan. The devastating earthquake destroyed or severely damaged more than 8,000 homes, with thousands of children and families now facing a freezing winter in tents, either in camps or close to the ruins of their homes
Children are homeless and scared – and the extent of the devastation is still unfolding.
“Children are gripped by fear as another powerful earthquake in Afghanistan forced them to flee their homes in the middle of the night. While the scale of the damage and destruction will take time to become clear, the impact on children’s mental health is immediate. ” says Samira Sayed Rahman from Save the Children Afghanistan.
Children in Afghanistan urgently need our help - and we are ready to respond.
Myanmar Earthquake - March 2025
In March 2025, a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks hit Myanmar, killing more than 3,800 people and injuring around 5,100 more.
The crisis continues. Many families are still living in temporary camps after over 50,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. In July, heavy rains caused severe flooding and landslides, making it even harder for families to rebuild and recover.
Children are suffering. Thousands of students had no school to return to in June since more than 2,600 schools were damaged or destroyed. Their mental health is also suffering.
Since it happened, we've helped more than 180,000 people, including almost 50,000 children, across 95 townships in earthquake-affected areas.
You can find out more about what we've done here.
When a devastating earthquake struck his village, both Zin Phyo’s home and school collapsed. Now living with relatives, he struggles with fear at night and worries the earthquake might happen again. Despite the trauma, Zin Phyo* is determined to return to school, clean his classroom, and proudly wear his school uniform, but he needs basic supplies like a uniform, pencils, and books.
Turkey-Syria Earthquake 2023
We responded with local partners and provided lifesaving assistance in both Turkey and Syria.
In the first 100 days we reached 366,182 families and children like Eylül* and Sümeyye* with:
- emergency food rations, blankets, tents, shelter kits, hygiene kits, dignity kits (including menstrual sanitary pads and underwear) and warm clothing
- rehabilitation of a schools and learning materials
- safe drinking water, and essential hygiene and sanitation items
- cash to families
- psychosocial support services and setting up safe spaces for children and their caregivers
- access to health services
- support to children with disabilities access services and be supported to overcome the new challenges created by the earthquake.
Thanks to your help, Save the Children and its partners were among the first to support earthquake-affected families.
*Names changed
How do Save the Children help children affected by Earthquakes?
Save the Children responds to earthquakes with immediate emergency relief and longer-term support to help children and families recover and rebuild.
Emergency response in the critical first hours and days
When an earthquake strikes, our teams work rapidly to:
Provide emergency shelter materials like tarpaulins, blankets, and winter clothing to protect families from the elements
Distribute clean water, hygiene supplies, and food to prevent disease and hunger
Set up child-friendly spaces where children can play safely and begin to process trauma while parents focus on survival
Reunite separated children with families and provide protection services
Deliver medical supplies to health facilities and support treatment of injured children
After the Afghanistan earthquakes, Save the Children distributed emergency kits including blankets, sleeping mats, hygiene items, and winter clothes to thousands of families. We also provided cash assistance so families could meet their immediate needs.
Education support to keep children learning
We work to get children back to learning as quickly as possible by:
Setting up temporary learning spaces when schools are damaged
Providing school supplies, books, and teacher training
Supporting the repair and rebuilding of schools to earthquake-resistant standards
Mental health and psychosocial support
Children who experience earthquakes need help processing trauma and fear. We provide:
Child-friendly spaces where children can play, draw, and express their feelings safely
Support groups for parents and caregivers struggling to help their traumatized children
Long-term recovery and resilience building
Beyond immediate relief, we support communities to recover and prepare for future earthquakes:
Help families rebuild safer homes and livelihoods
Train communities in earthquake preparedness and first aid
Advocate for building codes that protect schools and health facilities
Support local disaster preparedness plans that prioritize children's safety
Pre-position emergency supplies in high-risk areas so we can respond faster
Our global reach
Save the Children maintains emergency response capacity in earthquake-prone regions worldwide. When disaster strikes, we can deploy expert teams within 24-72 hours and draw on decades of experience responding to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
Frequently asked questions about earthquakes and children
Which countries face the highest earthquake risk?
The most earthquake-prone regions include the Pacific Ring of Fire (Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Chile), the Himalayan belt (Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India), the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Syria), and parts of Central and South America. Save the Children works in many of these high-risk areas.
Why are children in poorer countries more vulnerable to earthquakes?
In wealthier countries, strict building codes mean most structures can withstand earthquakes, and emergency services respond quickly. In poorer countries, families often live in homes made of mud-brick or poor-quality concrete that collapse easily. Healthcare systems are weaker, and families lack savings or insurance to recover from loss. Children in these contexts face far greater danger from earthquakes of the same magnitude.
How quickly can Save the Children respond to an earthquake?
Our emergency teams can often be on the ground within 24-72 hours of a major earthquake, depending on access and safety. In regions where we already work, we can respond even faster because we have local staff and pre-positioned supplies.
What do children need most in the first days after an earthquake?
Immediate priorities include: safety from collapsed buildings and aftershocks, medical care for injuries, clean water and food, shelter from weather, protection from separation and exploitation, and reassurance from caring adults. Psychosocial support becomes critical in the following days and weeks.
How long does earthquake recovery take?
While emergency response lasts weeks or months, full recovery can take years. Children may spend months out of school, families struggle to rebuild homes and livelihoods, and psychological impacts can last a lifetime without proper support. Save the Children often maintains programs in earthquake-affected areas for several years.
