Aid organisations warn of destruction from the earthquake in Afghanistan

International organizations that provide assistance from other countries are urgently trying to send aid to people who survived an earthquake in Afghanistan. The earthquake killed over 2,000 people and caused many more to be injured. This is a big problem because Afghanistan is already in a terrible state due to ongoing war and an economic crisis.

The big earthquake with a magnitude of 6. 3 happened on Saturday, not far from Herat city in Afghanistan. It occurred in the western province of Herat, which is the third largest province in the country.

It was a very powerful earthquake that happened in Afghanistan last year. It caused a lot of death and destruction, especially in the provinces of Paktika and Khost in the east, which share a border with Pakistan. Over a thousand people lost their lives during that tragic event.

Pictures taken by aid and rescue teams on the ground showed very large piles of broken pieces of buildings and rubble after they fell down.

Some people were digging in the remains to look for survivors while others gathered on the streets to stay safe from falling objects after the main earthquake.

Thamindri de Silva, who works for World Vision Afghanistan, said that the situation is even worse than we had thought. People in the destroyed villages are still trying very hard to save survivors from under the rubble, using only their hands.

Extra help from a team in Kabul came to assist, but there was only one hospital and it was very busy dealing with critical patients who were being sent to other private facilities.

We are doing our best to respond. People need immediate help with their health, water, food, shelter, and safety,” added de Silva.

Mark Calder, who works for World Vision Afghanistan and speaks up for their needs, told CNN that the recent earthquake was another terrible event for the Afghan people. This is especially difficult for them because they have already experienced many years of fighting, periods of no rain causing dryness, and an economy that has become very weak.

Calder said that the financial support from other countries has not been enough.

He said that organizations like ours can help people in need and assist with recovery. However, without support from international governments and donors, more people will need help, displacement will worsen, and lives will be lost.

We cannot ignore Afghanistan right now.

The spokesperson for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Sunday that 2,053 people were killed. Additionally, 1,240 people were injured, and 1,320 houses were either completely or partially destroyed. However, some people are worried that the number of deaths might increase even more.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that he stands with the Afghan people affected by the earthquake. He urged other countries to unite and help those who were already struggling before the disaster.

UN agencies and partners are providing more help and doing more work after the earthquake on Saturday. They are sending more teams to help with humanitarian efforts.

“We are working together with the governing authorities to quickly evaluate what they need and offer immediate help,” said spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

UNICEF, which is a part of the United Nations and helps children, has sent out 10,000 packages with hygiene supplies, 5,000 packages with things for families, 1,500 sets of warm clothes and blankets for winter, 1,000 big sheets of strong material, and basic items for homes to help the ongoing humanitarian work.

Teams are checking things on the ground and giving extra medicine and shelters to busy health clinics.

Siddig Ibrahim, who works for UNICEF in Afghanistan, told CNN that this is the worst earthquake the country has experienced in a long time.

Not having enough water is a big problem, especially for women and children.

“He said that Afghanistan is facing one of the most severe humanitarian and child rights problems in the world. ” “The whole world must not ignore or divert attention from the children in Afghanistan, especially at this critical time when they need assistance the most. ”

Save the Children said that the damage in Herat was very bad and expects that more people will die as bodies are found under the rubble.

Save the Children’s Afghanistan director, Arshad Malik, said that this situation is very bad and it adds more problems to the existing problems. “Even before this terrible event, Afghan kids were already going through a very difficult time because they didn’t have enough to eat. ”

We are working hard to help more children who are in need. We are providing things like healthcare, food, education, protection, shelter, clean water, and sanitation. We also help with food security and helping people make a living. But, we need help from donors to give the necessary aid to save lives.

Existing humanitarian programs will be affected and unable to continue if they do not receive immediate money, because the current funding they have is already stretched thin.

Afghanistan has been a very poor country in Asia for a long time and has experienced a lot of fighting for many years.

In August 2021, the Taliban took control again after being removed from power by US soldiers 20 years ago. This caused a lot of aid groups and NGOs to leave and stopped important aid programs.

The Taliban’s control made Afghanistan even more alone and made Washington and its allies stop giving money to the country. This made the economy even worse as it relies heavily on aid.

Last week, the World Bank said that two-thirds of families in Afghanistan are currently going through a lot of difficulties in sustaining their way of life. This makes it even more difficult for Afghan people to recover from earthquakes.

International aid organizations are saying that their ability to help during big disasters has been greatly affected by the Taliban taking control. They are asking for more immediate help from around the world, but only a few countries have said they will help publicly.

“Even before this earthquake, with recent floods and instability within the country, more than 29 million people in Afghanistan needed help from humanitarian organizations,” said Salma Ben Assia, director of the IRC.

The earthquake made things worse for communities that were already vulnerable. The upcoming winter will make things even worse for people who have been forced to leave their homes. This is especially dangerous for women and children, who are most at risk of being taken advantage of and mistreated when they are displaced.

Many people have lost their homes and belongings, leaving them without a place to live. – Arshad Malik from Save the Children.

The whole world must help the children and families in Herat who urgently need assistance.