Efforts underway to aid Afghanistan earthquake victims

By Nathan Morley

The United Nations is rushing to provide emergency shelter and food aid to remote areas Afghanistan after a major earthquake shook the region, killing over 1,000 people

The violent earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan in the border region with Pakistan on Wednesday night. According to the latest reports, more than 1,000 people died in the disaster.

Pakistani authorities gave the quake a magnitude of 6.1. The US earthquake monitor (USGS) reported magnitude 5.9 followed by a slightly weaker aftershock.

The center of the earthquake was around 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost near the border with Pakistan at a depth of around ten kilometers.

At least 1,500 residents in eastern Afghanistan were injured after the quake, the state news agency Bakhtar reports.

Some international aid is to be provided primarily through international non-governmental organizations and the United Nations. Support is being coordinated with the Taliban without recognizing the government.

Meanwhile, civil protection agencies fear an even higher number of victims may be found as rescue work is made more difficult by limited access to remote mountain region.

The militant Islamist Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan again since August 2021, called on aid organizations for support. Helpers from the Red Crescent arrived late on Wednesday.

According to the government, dozens of houses in Paktika and Khost provinces were destroyed.