Afghan official says humanitarian aid from several countries arrived but more support urgently needed
Hundreds of people affected by the recent devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan have been relocated to tent villages in the Kunar province, but more help is urgently needed as winter draws near, a local official told Anadolu on Saturday.
Najeebullah Hanif, a local official of the Afghan interim administration, said they have moved hundreds of people to tent villages, set up in safe areas in Kunar.
"Mazar Darah is the worst-hit area, where living is become impossible due to constant aftershocks which create more difficulties for our teams," he said, adding that their teams could not reach the area to deliver aid and other essential items.
"So we have moved all the affected people from there to tent villages," he said.
He added that humanitarian aid from several countries has already arrived in Kunar, but stressed that further support is urgently needed.
"People need shelter to protect them from cold as winter is just few weeks away," Hanif said.
He also appealed to the international community to help affected people as over 8,000 houses were destroyed by the earthquake, stressing that most survivors are very poor and will not be able to rebuild their homes without external support and assistance.
The interim administration, with the support of UN agencies, has provided tents, food, safe drinking water, and emergency health services in the affected areas while airdropping food and other essential items for affected people in remote areas where roads were blocked.
However, on Friday, a local resident in Kunar, Abdul Wahid, told Anadolu that the affected people will need essential items such as gas heaters and kitchen supplies, as winter is very near and they will need it while living in tents.
The UNHCR has also said that the earthquake has wiped out entire communities, leaving survivors sleeping in the open and exposed to harsh conditions. With winter fast approaching, the agency cautioned that lives will be at serious risk without urgent support.
"Help us provide emergency relief and shelter now," the agency said on Friday.
An earthquake hit Afghanistan last Sunday, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring around 4,000 others, causing great devastation in the eastern province of Kunar.
