The United Nations has warned of further increase in the number of casualties in the fierce earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. At the same time, the Taliban administration of the country has said that the death toll in the earthquake on Tuesday increased to more than 1,400 and more than 3,000 people were injured. The figures given by Taliban government spokesperson Jabhulla Mujahid are only from Kunar province. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake that came on Sunday night shook several provinces, causing heavy havoc.
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Many villages were destroyed by the earthquake and people were buried in the debris of mud, raw bricks and raw houses, which could not withstand the shock. Bumpy stony area is obstructing rescue and relief operations. Taliban authorities have lowered several commandos in the area by air to remove the injured from those places, as helicopters cannot land there.
Assistance agency ‘Save the Children’ said that with the help of community members, one of its teams came to the affected areas by carrying more than 19 kilometers to the medical equipment. The contact of these areas has been cut due to the rock fall due to the earthquake. According to the US Geological Survey, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake again occurred near the center of the earthquake on Sunday.
However, there is no immediate news of any damage in this shock after the earthquake. For Afghanistan, United Nations resident coordinator Indrika Ratwate said that rescuers are trying their best to reach the hilly and inaccessible areas.
He feared an increase in the number of casualties at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday. Ratwatte urged the international community to come forward, saying, “We cannot forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing many crises, many tremors and now their tolerating power has become weak.”
He said, “These are the decisions of life and death, while we are trying our best to reach people.” United Nations spokesperson Stephen Dujarik said on Tuesday that the United Nations Human Office has released $ 5 million from its emergency fund to speed up the United Nations response and will also be issued $ 5 million from Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.
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Earlier, “The injured are being evacuated, so these figures can be changed.” He said, “The earthquake caused a landslide in some areas, which has blocked the roads, but also opened the rest of the roads so that the rest of the roads would be opened,” he said.
Most of the disadvantages have been in Kunar province. The Taliban government has appealed for international help. Britain has promised emergency funds of 1 million pounds (US $ 13 million), which will be distributed among human agencies rather than the Taliban government. Britain does not recognize the Taliban government. Other countries including China have also offered disaster relief assistance. This is the third major earthquake since the Taliban came to power in 2021, and this is the latest crisis for Afghanistan, which is facing heavy cuts and weak economy in aid funds.
India on Tuesday sent 21 tonnes of relief material to help earthquake affected people in Afghanistan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on ‘X’, “Indian earthquake aid is reaching Kabul by air route.” He said that 21 tons of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchens, ‘portable water purifiers’, ‘sleeping bags’, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitizers, water purification pills and medical consumption ingredients were sent on Tuesday.