After the devastating earthquake claimed the lives of around 22,00 people and left 3700 injured in Afghanistan, rescuers are finding it difficult to trace the missing persons from some of the remote locations.
As access to Afghanistan's earthquake-ravaged areas is still obstructed, the government sent commandos by air to rescue survivors from the rubble. Days after a powerful earthquake, the rescue teams struggled to reach survivors as rescue and relief operations continued on Thursday.
The Taliban government has air-dropped hundreds of commandos to the remote areas where helicopters were unable to reach due to hostile terrain. A magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the mountain region bordering Pakistan around midnight on Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families.
As per the latest toll from Taliban authorities, the earthquake killed around 22,00 people and injured more than 3,700. The vast majority of the casualties, more than 95 per cent, were in Kunar province. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a second earthquake, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts. According to ActionAid, 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake.
Also Read: Afghan quake death toll crosses 1400; over 3200 injured
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday that the agency only has one week of funding left to support supplies to the victims and their families. John Aylieff, head of WFP in Afghanistan, said, "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.”
As per the latest UN Data, WFP has just under $300 million in funding compared to $1.7 billion in 2022. The UN has said that 64 per cent of the 41.5 million people in Afghanistan live in poverty.
Also Read: India sends 1,000 tents, over 15 tonnes of food to Afghanistan
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