A new earthquake of 5.5 struck southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, only two days after a more powerful quake killed over 1,400 people. The earthquake hit villages in the mountainous Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, causing boulders to tumble down hills and making rescue efforts even more difficult. Roads were cut off, already damaged homes collapsed, and numerous terrified families fled into the open, anticipating another calamity.
Sunday evening’s earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.0, leveled over 5,000 homes and injured more than 3,100 people, the Taliban government reports. Several villages were leveled to the ground, with survivors excavating rubble to search for relatives. Thousands are trapped in rural areas, aid organizations report, as helicopters and ambulances seek to reach them.
Race to save lives
Rescue operations have been excruciatingly slow due to adverse weather, wrecked mountain roads, and ongoing aftershocks. Aid officials claim this is now a “race against time.” Most individuals lack shelter, safe water, or food. UNICEF alerted that thousands of children are in danger, while the World Health Organization stated the nation’s vulnerable health system is utterly swamped. With full hospitals and medicines in short supply, survivors are relying significantly on foreign aid.
Taliban troops have been sent in to assist with the distribution of aid and maintaining order, but the magnitude of the disaster is too extensive for local officials to manage on their own. Humanitarian organizations are scrambling to bring tents, food, warm clothing, and medicines. But collapsed roads and concerns about further tremors have hindered delivery. Too many families remain outdoors, subject to rain and cold nights.
Limited global help
Foreign assistance has begun to pour in, but most claim it is insufficient. Britain pledged one million pounds for the United Nations and Red Cross. India has dispatched 1,000 tents and 15 tonnes of supplies, with further assistance on its way. China, the UAE, Iran, Pakistan and the European Union have pledged assistance but little of it has come into Afghanistan yet.
The disaster occurs as Afghanistan is already reeling from shortages of food, unemployment, and declining foreign aid. Reductions in international contributions, particularly from the United States in recent months, have left the nation with less to devote to responding to emergencies. Relief agencies say that unless additional assistance is delivered soon, the loss of life from this tragedy will continue to rise even higher.
FAQs
- Â How many have died to date?
Over 1,400 people have been confirmed dead, with thousands injured and missing.
- Â Where were the worst-hit areas?
The Hindu Kush mountain area, particularly Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, was hardest hit.
- Â What do survivors need most?
They need shelter, food, clean water, medicine, and warm clothing urgently.
- Â Which nations have provided assistance?
So far Britain and India have sent aid. Other countries like China, UAE, and Pakistan have pledged assistance.
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