Latest reports from UN teams who arrived on foot in the affected Ghazi Abad district emphasized the urgent need for continued humanitarian aid. “The priority is to get people out from beneath the rubble,” stated Salam Al-Jabani from UNICEF in Kabul. “What’s urgently needed is help to bury the dead and retrieve them.”
Preliminary findings from Afghanistan’s authorities indicate at least 1,400 fatalities and over 3,100 injuries due to a magnitude six earthquake hitting the northeast late Sunday. Casualty numbers are likely to rise as more areas are accessed, though some remain unreachable due to rockfalls and landslides triggered by the quake and preceding heavy rains.
“Our teams had to walk two hours to reach Ghazi Abad,” Mr. Al-Jabani noted. “Other villages are still unreachable, even by helicopters.” Communication is also scarce, with just one functional cell tower near a health center, he added.
In response, the UN has deployed 25 assessment teams and increased humanitarian flights from Kabul. The UNHCR is moving essential relief items like tents and blankets from Kabul. Immediate needs include shelter, medical supplies, water, and food. “Transporting medicines is difficult; they’re being carried on foot from a nearby hospital,” Mr. Al-Jabani mentioned. Healthcare remains fragile as staff operate outside due to the fear of damaged buildings.
Thousands are entering the area to assist in rescue efforts, bringing water and food, Mr. Al-Jabani observed.
Despite the focus on finding survivors, funding shortages threaten humanitarian operations. “The WFP can only provide food for a few weeks before funds deplete,” said John Aylieff, WFP’s chief in Kabul. “Donors must urgently assist families affected by this disaster.”
Only $685.8 million of the $2.4 billion needed for Afghanistan’s aid has been secured, per the UN’s OCHA.
Afghan women are among those leading response efforts, working up to 18 hours a day to reach women and girls, according to UN Women. “It’s exhausting work and they can’t reach everyone,” expressed Susan Ferguson, UN Women Afghanistan’s Special Representative. The agency is prioritizing cash assistance and distributing essential items like tarpaulins and hygiene products.
“In Afghanistan, it’s crucial for women to provide aid to other women,” Ms. Ferguson remarked, highlighting the cultural barriers that women face in accessing aid, noting that in the 2023 Herat earthquake, most victims were women. “Women humanitarians help overcome these barriers, ensuring women and girls receive essential assistance,” she emphasized.
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