New York (UNA/WAM) - The United Nations announced that it will spare no effort to assist and provide relief to the thousands affected by the devastating earthquake that struck remote areas in eastern Afghanistan at dawn yesterday, Monday, killing at least 800 people and wiping out entire villages.
In his remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed the international organization's solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, offered his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, wished a speedy recovery to the injured, and pledged that the organization would exert all possible efforts to assist those affected by the devastating earthquake in the affected areas of Afghanistan.
Reports received by the United Nations from its agencies operating on the ground in Afghanistan reveal widespread destruction in four eastern provinces of Afghanistan, including Nangarhar and Kunar.
The organization confirmed that its staff and humanitarian partners on the ground carried out actions that supported and enhanced relief efforts in the affected areas.
Salam Al-Jabbani, the official spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the earthquake occurred while families were sleeping in their homes, so the losses were great.
For its part, the World Health Organization announced the presence of its teams in Afghan hospitals and health facilities to support the treatment of the wounded, assess urgent health needs, deliver essential medicines and supplies, and deploy health teams to affected areas to help save lives.
Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), announced that UNHCR staff were deployed on the ground to provide assistance in providing shelter, tents, water, and blankets to those affected.
He expected the number of injured to exceed 2000 in Kunar province alone, and expressed concern that the commercial city of Jalalabad had suffered a high death toll, stressing that the aftermath of this earthquake added to the many other humanitarian challenges facing Afghanistan.
He explained that the scale of this disaster "far exceeds the current capacity of local authorities and communities," and appealed to the international community to provide support for the urgently needed relief efforts for the affected Afghans.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed that the organization's relief teams are attempting to overcome difficult terrain to reach and provide assistance to some of the most isolated communities in the affected areas, which can only be reached on foot.
He revealed that more critically injured people were being airlifted by helicopter to Jalalabad and Asadabad hospitals, which have now become the main referral points for casualties in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
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