Pakistan on Wednesday dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian aid for quake-struck Afghanistan, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
The earthquake killed[1] a total of 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700, according to a new toll from Taliban authorities, making it one of the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished country, according to AFP.
The vast majority of the casualties — more than 1,450 — were in Kunar province, with a dozen dead and hundreds hurt in nearby Nangarhar and Laghman provinces.
“Following my telephone call with Foreign Minister Muttaqi, the Government of Pakistan today dispatched 105 tonnes of humanitarian relief assistance to Afghanistan,” a statement from Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said.
The consignment includes “essential food items, medicines, tents, blankets, and bubble mats”, aimed at supporting those affected by the recent earthquakes in the country, the statement added.
“We extend our deepest condolences and prayers for the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” Deputy PM Dar said.
Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people of Afghanistan in this difficult time, he added.
The relief supplies are being sent to Afghanistan via the Torkham border via 5 trucks with 40-foot containers. The departure ceremony of the supplies was held at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warehouse in Islamabad, PTV News[2] reported.
The ceremony was attended by the special guest, Minister of State for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Kheal Das Kohistani, along with officials from the NDMA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This was the third major earthquake since the Taliban took power in 2021, but there are even fewer resources for the cash-strapped government’s response after the United States slashed[3] assistance to the country when President Donald Trump took office in January.
Even before the earthquake, the United Nations estimated it had obtained less than a third of the funding required for operations countrywide.
Days after quake, Afghan survivors still await aid
Rescue teams struggled to reach survivors as night approached days after a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, as access to remote areas remained obstructed.
Fearful of the near-constant aftershocks rattling the area, people huddled in the open air while others struggled to unearth those trapped under the heaps of flattened buildings.
Access remained difficult, as aftershocks caused rockfall, stymying access to already isolated villages and keeping families huddled outdoors for fear of the remains of damaged homes collapsing on them.
“Everyone is afraid and there are many aftershocks,” Awrangzeeb Noori, 35, told AFP from the village of Dara-i-Nur in Nangarhar province. “We spend all day and night in the field without shelter.”
The non-governmental group Save the Children said one of its aid teams “had to walk for 20 kilometres to reach villages cut off by rock falls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members”.
The World Food Programme (WFP) shared images of teams hiking up slopes carrying boxes of food aid on their shoulders.
The Taliban government deputy spokesperson, Hamdullah Fitrat told AFP that areas that had taken days to reach had been finally accessed.
“We cannot determine the date for finishing the operation in all areas as the area is very mountainous and it is very difficult to reach every area.”
More than 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake, according to ActionAid, noting women and girls were particularly vulnerable in emergencies as they face steep restrictions under the Taliban authorities.
Residents of Jalalabad, the nearest city to the quake epicentre, donated money and goods such as blankets to be delivered to those impacted by the quake.
“I am a simple labourer and I came here to help the earthquake victims because I felt very sad for them,” said resident Mohammad Rahman.
“If I could do more, I would help even more, but I helped with what I had.”
Afghanistan airdrops commandos to rescue quake survivors
Afghanistan airdropped commandos to pull survivors from the rubble in areas ravaged by earthquakes, as a UN agency warned that food aid for victims would run out soon without urgent funding.
Dozens of commando forces were being airdropped at sites where helicopters cannot land, to help carry the injured to safer ground, in what aid groups said was a race against time to rescue those still stuck under rubble.
Time was also running out for those who survived the two devastating quakes in the remote eastern region of the impoverished country, the UN WFP warned on Wednesday.
John Aylieff, the head of WFP in Afghanistan, told Reuters that the agency only has enough funding and stocks for the next four weeks.
“Four weeks is just not enough even to meet the basic, essential needs of the population struck by the earthquake, let alone put the victims on a path back to rebuilding their lives,” Aylieff said.
WFP funding for Afghanistan this year is just under $300 million, according to UN financial data, down from $1.7 billion in 2022, the first full year the country was ruled by the Taliban.
Resources for rescue and relief work are tight in the nation of 42 million people hit by war, poverty and shrinking aid. It has received limited global help after the disaster.