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Jun 22, 2022

Deadly quake claims thousands of lives : Aid rush to Afghanistan

FA News Desk
A shipment of 9.8 tonnes and 95 cubic meters of medical supplies are on the way to the earthquake affected areas of Afghanistan. Photo credit UN.
A shipment of 9.8 tonnes and 95 cubic meters of medical supplies are on the way to the earthquake affected areas of Afghanistan. Photo credit UN.

Afghanistan is in dire need of support after a devastating quake hit early on Wednesday morning that has claimed over 1,000 people according to media reports adding over 1,500 were recorded injured which is likely to be increased. Also, around thousands of homes reported diminished.

So far, the UN and partner organizations have rushed around nearly 10 tonnes of essential medical supplies and medicines including food and tents to support quake hit people in Afghanistan that hit two provinces in the east of the country.

Also, teams of surgeons, medical doctors and several medical specialists have also been dispatched.

In a post on Twitter, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “within a few hours” its teams were supporting local health workers in saving lives and taking care of those affected by the disaster.

Disaster experts and humanitarian workers said the impoverished hilly areas struck by the quake were especially vulnerable, with landslides and poorly built houses adding to widespread destruction.

As per the international media reports, the 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Central Region of Afghanistan around 1.30 AM, local time which registered at a depth of 10 km and was reportedly felt in neighbouring provinces including capital Kabul and in Islamabad of Pakistan, and India.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) report, Wednesday’s quake was the deadliest in Afghanistan since 2002 that struck about 44-km areas near the border with Pakistan.

Also, in Twitter, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said over 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India felt shake. However, there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in Pakistan.

Wednesday’s quake affected four districts in Paktika province – Gayan, Barmala, Naka and Ziruk – as well as Spera district in Khost province.

Meantime, despite the country currently facing a severe economic and food crisis, the disaster has caused difficulties. The Taliban government called for greater foreign assistance and international humanitarian aid.

It is to note here that the US and its allies froze around US $7 billion of the country’s foreign reserves after the Taliban recaptured control of the country in August, cutting them off from international funding.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was saddened to learn about the tragic loss of life, noting that Afghans were already reeling from the impact of years of conflict, economic hardship and hunger.

In 2015, an earthquake struck the remote Afghan northeast, killing several hundred people in Afghanistan and nearby northern Pakistan.