Deadly earthquake hits Afghanistan,Taliban appeal for International aid

After a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the provincial capital of Khost in the southwest region of Afghanistan on Wednesday,  shattering the lives of thousands of locals and injuring over 1600 people, the Taliban has appealed for international support. According to the United States Geological Survey, the impact of the quake had a depth of about six miles and destroyed several brick homes leaving people without any aid or shelter.  As said by local doctors, nearly all the government and private hospitals are filled with victims.

The worst affected area is the Paktika province which lies along the border of Pakistan as pictures and videos of people being evacuated to Kabul started flooding the social media. This deadly earthquake after two decades has caused immeasurable loss to the Taliban, a fundamentalist Pashtun group that took over the country in 2021. A senior Taliban official, Abdul Qahar Balki said that any help from foreign governments or relief agencies is “appreciated and welcomed”.

The Taliban-led government of Afghanistan has already been struggling with humanitarian and severe economic crises after the withdrawal of US coalition forces last year. This has led to difficulties in providing financial aid and support to the victims of the earthquake. The UN officials have confirmed the deployment of health teams and the supply of medicines, trauma kits, and emergency shelter to the affected areas. Alongside, the European Union has been monitoring the situation continuously and is ready to provide emergency assistance to the communities of Afghanistan when needed.

കൈരളി ഓണ്‍ലൈന്‍ വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍ വാട്‌സ്ആപ്ഗ്രൂപ്പിലും  ലഭ്യമാണ്.  വാട്‌സ്ആപ് ഗ്രൂപ്പില്‍ അംഗമാകാന്‍ ഈ ലിങ്കില്‍ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യുക.