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Kabul [Afghanistan], October 10: The Afghan government controlled by the Taliban is calling on all domestic and international organizations to help rescue earthquake victims.
Local people and volunteers on October 9 continued their efforts to search for survivors after a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan two days earlier, with the death toll exceeding 2,400 and expected to increase.
Taliban forces said at least 2,445 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured, after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on October 7, accompanied by 8 strong aftershocks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 11,000 people from 1,655 families are affected. Trucks continued carrying volunteers, food, tents and blankets to the area about 30 kilometers northwest of the city of Herat, which was hardest hit. They also brought shovels to dig through rubble in flattened villages, hoping to find survivors.
According to Thamindri de Silva, country director at the aid organization World Vision Afghanistan, the situation in villages devastated by the earthquake is worse than people thought. "People are desperately trying to rescue survivors from under the rubble with their bare hands," she said, adding that support forces from Kabul had arrived but only one hospital was full and serious cases were being treated. transferred to private facilities in the city.
The Afghan government controlled by the Taliban is calling on all domestic and international organizations to help rescue earthquake victims. The Taliban pledged to launch search and rescue operations for people trapped under the rubble, and promised to provide aid to survivors, according to NHK, citing a spokesman for the Taliban. Taliban.
Reuters on October 9 quoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying that the UN and partners are coordinating with Afghan authorities to quickly assess needs and provide emergency aid. The UN humanitarian coordinator approved an emergency reserve allocation of $5 million from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. At the same time, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) mobilized additional groups to participate in ongoing humanitarian efforts. UNICEF sent 10,000 hygiene kits, 5,000 home kits, 1,500 sets of winter clothes and blankets, 1,000 tarpaulins and basic household items to provide support.
Save the Children organization (headquartered in the UK) said that the earthquake in Afghanistan is "a crisis on top of a crisis". "The level of damage is horrifying. The number of people affected by this disaster is truly worrying," according to AFP, quoting the organization's country director in Afghanistan, Arshad Malik. Afghanistan has been suffering from a serious humanitarian crisis due to the withdrawal of foreign aid since the Taliban came to power. The disaster occurred as winter was coming, making providing shelter for those affected by the earthquake a major challenge for the Taliban government.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper