Days after a powerful earthquake hit eastern , rescue teams as Wednesday night approached.
Dozens of commandos were airdropped at sites where helicopters could not land to help carry the injured to safety.
A magnitude-6.0 earthquake hit the mountainous region bordering Pakistan around midnight on Sunday, collapsing mud-brick homes on families as they slept.
According to the latest toll from authorities, the earthquake killed 1,469 people and injured more than 3,700. The vast majority of the casualties, more than 1,450, were in Kunar province.
Race against time
On Tuesday evening, a second earthquake, measuring 5.5 in magnitude, struck, causing panic and interrupting rescue efforts.
Aftershocks caused rockfalls, hindering access to already isolated villages and forcing families to remain outdoors for fear that the remains of their damaged homes would collapse on them.
Save the Children, a non-governmental organization, said one of its aid teams “had to walk for 20 kilometres (12 miles) to reach villages cut off by rockfalls, carrying medical equipment on their backs with the help of community members.”
According to ActionAid, more than 12,000 people have been directly affected by the earthquake. The organization notes that in emergencies because they face steep restrictions under the Taliban authorities.
UN warns of possible food shortage
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Wednesday that it only has enough funding and supplies to last four more 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,” John Aylieff, the head of WFP in Afghanistan, told Reuters.
According to UN financial data, WFP funding for Afghanistan this year is just under $300 million, down from $1.7 billion in 2022, the first full year the country was ruled by the Taliban.
The UN says that 64% of the 41.5 million people in Afghanistan live in poverty. Of those, 50% depend on humanitarian aid for survival, and 14% suffer from acute hunger.
Edited by: Farah Bahgat
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