Afghanistan recorded a new 6.1 magnitude earthquake on Friday, which killed at least five people, according to the spokesman for the Ministry of Health of the Taliban regime, Sharafat Zaman. The quake took place in Paktika, on the Pakistani border.
The province was one of the most affected by the earthquake recorded on Wednesday (22) and whose number of victims reaches 1,036, according to the UN office in the Central Asian country. Authorities, however, have already ended the search for survivors, said the Ministry of Disaster Management.
About 2,000 people were injured, and more than 10,000 homes were partially or completely destroyed in the earthquake, according to an updated balance sheet. Afghanistan, however, does not have enough medical supplies to care for the wounded. “We need medical help,” a spokesperson for the disaster management ministry told Reuters.
The reality of the country, which was already witnessing a double economic and humanitarian crisis, intensified after the Taliban fundamentalist group regained power last August, made the UN increase urgent requests for international assistance.
UNHCR itself, the high commissioner for refugees, said it had sent supplies, including 600 tents and 1,200 solar lamps, to support an estimated 4,200 survivors in the worst-affected regions. The organization drew attention to the risk of epidemics of waterborne diseases.
“Children and adolescents are extremely vulnerable and at high risk of being separated from their families, suffering emotionally and being exploited,” said Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF representative in the country.
Humanitarian aid packages begin to be sent from other countries. Asians Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as the United Arab Emirates, said they plan to send supplies, and supplies from Pakistan have already crossed the border.
The government of India said it had sent 27 tonnes of supplies on two flights to be delivered to international agencies. China said it was stepping up efforts to collect cash, tents and other relief items to deliver to Kabul as quickly as possible, without providing details on the size of the aid or the date of delivery.
Beijing has also been critical of aid sent to Afghans by Taiwan, an island that is de facto autonomous, albeit without international recognition, and which the Chinese regime says is a rebel province. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, when talking about donations made by Taipei to Ukraine, invaded by Russia, accused the island of using donations for political purposes.
This time, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, when asked by reporters about aid to Afghanistan, reiterated that Taiwan is part of China and followed: “The political motivations of the Taiwan authorities to expand their international space, which are behind the ‘assistance’ provided will not materialize.”
The island said it will donate US$ 1 million (R$ 5.2 million this Friday, the 24th) for humanitarian relief efforts. President Tsai Ing-wen’s office, however, said search and rescue teams would not be deployed due to transport difficulties in the Central Asian country.
Earthquakes are not uncommon in Afghanistan due to constant movement of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. One of the most affected regions is the Hindu Kush mountainous area, which also extends to parts of Pakistan and China.
