Concerns are growing about the victims of the earthquake that killed more than 1,150 people in Afghanistan on Wednesday, as citizens warn of the dangers and difficulties experienced by the citizens.
Despite the arrival of first aid from the international community, hundreds of citizens are without shelter or medical support.
“The Ministry of Health does not have enough medicines, we need medical help and other needs because this is a big disaster,” the Guardian quoted an official as saying, while citizen Zaitullah Gurziwal warned that there were no “blankets.” Or tents or shelters.” But the problems do not stop there. “The water distribution system has been completely destroyed. There is nothing to eat.”
The international community has already begun to mobilize to help Afghanistan, with the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, expressing his grief over the “fatal” natural disaster that has struck eastern Afghanistan.
Guterres said the United Nations was “fully mobilized” and teams in Afghanistan were on the ground to assess “needs and provide initial support.”
“I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he added.
Several other agencies, including the World Health Organization, the local Red Crescent and the World Food Program, have started sending mobile health teams to Paktika and Khost provinces, at a time when the population is also in need of care. Relief, food and non-food aid, and assistance with WASH services.
The European Union on Wednesday requested “international assistance” for Afghanistan, to ensure it would help those who need it most.
The situation is so serious that the Taliban-led government has appealed to the international community to send help and support to deal with the devastation caused by this natural disaster.
In a rare public appearance, the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzadeh, called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to “help the Afghan people affected by this great tragedy and spare no effort,” the English newspaper reported.
At a time when the region was already experiencing an economic crisis, the extremist group also called on Western countries to lift restrictions imposed after the US military abandoned Afghanistan, which brought the insurgent group to power.
However, Taliban participation could be an impediment to the allocation of humanitarian aid, as countries such as Germany or Norway reveal that they will not cooperate directly with the insurgent group, but only send aid through bodies such as the United Nations.
Complicating the rescue operations is the fact that the earthquake hit areas that were already suffering from the effects of heavy rains, landslides and mud, which prompted citizens to dig through the rubble for survivors.
According to the authorities, in addition to the dead, at least 2,000 people were injured during the earthquake and more than 118,000 children were affected.
