Asylum, Afghanistan: Many Survivors AfghanistanThe deadliest earthquake in more than two decades was on Friday without food, shelter and water as they waited for relief workers to arrive in ravaged villages, adding to their misery.
Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake hit the rugged east bordering Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving thousands homeless.
Entire villages have been leveled in some of the worst-affected districts, where survivors said they were also struggling to find equipment to bury their dead.
“No blankets, no tents, no shelter. Our entire water distribution system is destroyed. There’s literally nothing to eat,” the 21-year-old said. Jaitullah Ghurjiwal Told an AFP team that had reached his village in the inaccessible Paktika province.
The province’s information chief, Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, said heavy rains and floods were hindering efforts to reach the affected people.
Communication services have also been affected due to the collapse of mobile phone towers and power lines due to the earthquake.
The quake affected areas already ravaged by the effects of heavy rains, which wiped out precariously settled settlements and fell rocks on the mountain’s slopes.
Officials say about 10,000 homes were destroyed, an alarming number in an area where the average household size exceeds 20 people.
“Seven in one room, five in another, four in another and three in another have been killed in my family,” Bibi Hawa told AFP from a hospital bed in Paktika capital. asylum,
Save the Children said more than 118,000 children were affected by the disaster.
“Many children are now most likely without clean drinking water, food and a safe place to sleep,” the international charity said.
Disaster presents a great logistical challenge Taliban government, which has isolated itself from much of the world by introducing radical Islamic rule.
The aid-dependent country cut much of its foreign aid after the Taliban takeover last August, and even before Wednesday’s disaster, the United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis that threatened entire populations.
But the earthquake has drawn sympathy from abroad – although many are wary of how any aid will be used.
“Aid distribution will be transparent,” official spokesperson Bilal Karimi “Many countries have supported us and stood with us,” he told AFP.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global agency was fully prepared to help.
According to his office, the refugee agency UNHCR has sent tents, blankets and plastic sheets; The World Food Program has distributed food reserves to approximately 14,000; And the World Health Organization has provided 10 tons of medical supplies, enough for 5,400 surgeries.
Afghan government officials said on Thursday that aid flights had landed from Qatar and Iran, while Pakistan had sent trucks carrying tents, medical supplies and food across the border.
Even before the takeover of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s emergency response teams were augmented to deal with frequent natural disasters in the country.
But with only a handful of airplanes and helicopters left since returning to power, any immediate response to the latest catastrophe has been further limited.
“We hope that the international community and aid agencies will also help our people in this critical situation,” tweeted Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official.
Afghanistan is often vulnerable to earthquakes, especially among Hindus. Kusho mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake killed 5,000 people in 1998 in the northeastern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan.
Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake hit the rugged east bordering Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving thousands homeless.
Entire villages have been leveled in some of the worst-affected districts, where survivors said they were also struggling to find equipment to bury their dead.
“No blankets, no tents, no shelter. Our entire water distribution system is destroyed. There’s literally nothing to eat,” the 21-year-old said. Jaitullah Ghurjiwal Told an AFP team that had reached his village in the inaccessible Paktika province.
The province’s information chief, Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, said heavy rains and floods were hindering efforts to reach the affected people.
Communication services have also been affected due to the collapse of mobile phone towers and power lines due to the earthquake.
The quake affected areas already ravaged by the effects of heavy rains, which wiped out precariously settled settlements and fell rocks on the mountain’s slopes.
Officials say about 10,000 homes were destroyed, an alarming number in an area where the average household size exceeds 20 people.
“Seven in one room, five in another, four in another and three in another have been killed in my family,” Bibi Hawa told AFP from a hospital bed in Paktika capital. asylum,
Save the Children said more than 118,000 children were affected by the disaster.
“Many children are now most likely without clean drinking water, food and a safe place to sleep,” the international charity said.
Disaster presents a great logistical challenge Taliban government, which has isolated itself from much of the world by introducing radical Islamic rule.
The aid-dependent country cut much of its foreign aid after the Taliban takeover last August, and even before Wednesday’s disaster, the United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis that threatened entire populations.
But the earthquake has drawn sympathy from abroad – although many are wary of how any aid will be used.
“Aid distribution will be transparent,” official spokesperson Bilal Karimi “Many countries have supported us and stood with us,” he told AFP.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global agency was fully prepared to help.
According to his office, the refugee agency UNHCR has sent tents, blankets and plastic sheets; The World Food Program has distributed food reserves to approximately 14,000; And the World Health Organization has provided 10 tons of medical supplies, enough for 5,400 surgeries.
Afghan government officials said on Thursday that aid flights had landed from Qatar and Iran, while Pakistan had sent trucks carrying tents, medical supplies and food across the border.
Even before the takeover of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s emergency response teams were augmented to deal with frequent natural disasters in the country.
But with only a handful of airplanes and helicopters left since returning to power, any immediate response to the latest catastrophe has been further limited.
“We hope that the international community and aid agencies will also help our people in this critical situation,” tweeted Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban official.
Afghanistan is often vulnerable to earthquakes, especially among Hindus. Kusho mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake killed 5,000 people in 1998 in the northeastern provinces of Takhar and Badakhshan.