Earthquake in Afghanistan, hundreds of deaths: what we know so far

At least 800 dead and 2,800 injured: it is a provisional budget and for this reason even more tragic that of the earthquake hit the August 31stEastern Afghanistan. The data are that of the Afghan Interior Ministry, when all areas affected by the earthquake of magnitude 6 had not yet been reached on the Richter scale.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the eastern provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Laghman were the most affected. There are hundreds of destroyed houses here and at least three villages razed to the ground. The authority for the management of Kunar disasters said that the dead and injured were recorded in the districts of Nur Gul, Soki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapadare.

An inhabitant of the District of Nurgalsaid, according to the Associated Press, that almost the entire village collapsed under the strength of the earthquake. «The children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble. We need people to come here and join us. We take out the buried people. There is no one who can come to remove the corpses from under the rubble ».

The United Nations agencies that deal with Afghanistan invite to mobilization. Filippo Grandi, a high commissioner of the United Nations for refugees says: “The violent earthquake that has caused many victims in Afghanistan adds death and destruction to other challenges, including drought and forced repatriation of millions of Afghan from neighboring countries”. The invitation is “not to hesitate to support rescue efforts”.

Explains the BBC That There are no restrictions on the entry of international aid And the Taliban government asked the humanitarian agencies to give priority to resources for assistance to the areas affected by the earthquake. The blocking of funding from the US agency for international development at the beginning of this year, however, had a significant impact on the distribution of aid. The main hospital of Jalalabad is already overcrowded, being in the center of the border pass for the tens of thousands of Afghan who gravitate on the border with Pakistan. A local journalist who visited the hospital said that the relatives of the victims of the earthquake had to leave the hospital to buy drugs for hospitalizations. Local reporters, always mentioned by BBCspeak of delays in aid in particular for women. Men would have precedence in hospitals and there would be no women among the rescuers.