Despair surfacing for earthquake survivors in Afghanistan - Catastrophic Earthquake in Afghanistan Offers Possibility of Rescue for Survivors
In a region known for its seismic activity, where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet, a devastating earthquake struck Afghanistan early Monday morning. The magnitude 6.0 quake, centred near Jalalabad, has left at least 1,411 people dead in the province of Kunar, with the death toll expected to rise.
The disaster is causing "immediate suffering" according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and it's not just the earthquake's direct impact that is worrying. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan was already catastrophic due to the takeover of power by the radical Islamic Taliban in August 2021.
Many houses in Afghanistan, built from mud bricks, are vulnerable to earthquake damage. This has led to numerous casualties and the destruction of entire villages. No tents have been set up for survivors, leaving residents of destroyed mud and stone houses to sleep outdoors. Many areas in the mountainous border region with Pakistan remain difficult to access due to landslides and rockslides blocking roads.
The Taliban government has organised 155 helicopter flights in two days to transport around 2,000 injured people and their families to hospitals. Humanitarian support for the earthquake victims in Afghanistan has been provided by numerous organisations, including the German Red Cross (DRK), the Afghan Red Crescent through mobile health teams and distribution of food and medical supplies, UNICEF with large shipments of relief goods and cash assistance, as well as the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and other local and international partners coordinating emergency aid and health services.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that many people are still trapped in collapsed buildings. A small mobile clinic was set up in the village of Masar Dara in Kunar to provide emergency care. A Save the Children aid team walked about 20 kilometers to reach villages cut off by rockslides, carrying medical equipment on their backs to treat the injured.
The disaster is exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC, stated that the disaster is causing "not only immediate suffering, but also exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan." The World Food Programme (WFP) states that many people in Afghanistan were already suffering from hunger before the earthquake.
Women and girls in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable in this crisis due to systematic discrimination and deprivation of rights by the radical Islamic Taliban. Western aid to Afghanistan has been significantly reduced, making the situation even more challenging.
ActionAid reports that over 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake. The WFP is providing food assistance to earthquake victims, but the need is immense, and the situation remains critical. The international community must continue to support Afghanistan in this time of crisis.
