Following the devastating earthquake that left more than 1,400 people dead in eastern Afghanistan, rescue teams are desperately trying to reach survivors.
Authorities issued a warning on Wednesday that countless victims are still confined to remote, largely unaccessible areas.
Late on Sunday, a magnitude 6. 0 shallow earthquake struck the mountainous region along Pakistan’s border, causing mud-brick homes to fall on drowsy residents. Residents have gathered in open areas or are frantically looking through rubble for lost loved ones because of ongoing aftershocks.
One of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes in recent years is reported to have resulted in at least 1, 469 deaths, with more than 3, 700 of those injuries.
More than 500,000 people in eastern Afghanistan have been impacted by the catastrophe, according to Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee program, according to X.
The province of Kunar, which borders Nangarhar and Laghman, reported hundreds of injuries and several deaths, had the highest number of casualties.
Due to aftershocks, which cause rockfalls, which prevent access to remote villages, and forbid families from leaving the area in fear of further structural collapses, relief efforts are severely hampered.
Awrangzeeb Noori, 35, from the Nangarhar province’s Darai Nur, told the AFP news agency, “Everyone is afraid and there are many aftershocks.” Without shelter, we spend the entire day and night in the fields.
The World Health Organization announced an increased emergency response on Wednesday, requesting $4 million to provide crucial health care, expand mobile services, and increase supplies.
Jamshed Tanoli, the WHO emergency team leader in Afghanistan, stated in a statement that “every hour counts.” “Survivors have lost everything, families are grieving, and hospitals are struggling.”
Formerly remote areas had finally been reached, according to deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, Hamdullah Fitrat. Because the region is very mountainous and difficult to reach, “we cannot determine the date that the operation will be finished in all areas.”
In two days, the Taliban government’s defense ministry flew 155 helicopters to regional hospitals to evacuate injured people and their families.
According to Fitrat, a coordination camp has been set up in Khas Kunar district to “monitor the transfer of the injured, the burial of the dead, and the rescue of survivors.” There are also two additional sites close to the epicentre.
Source: Aljazeera
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