In rural Afghanistan, where an earthquake this week claimed more than 1,000 lives, hospitals began receiving critical medical supplies on Saturday as the Taliban government pleaded for greater international assistance.
Following Wednesday’s 6.1-magnitude earthquake, which also left nearly 2,000 people injured and 10,000 homes damaged or destroyed, authorities have suspended their search for survivors in the hilly southeast region close to the Pakistani border.
At least five more people were killed by aftershocks on Friday in a region 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Kabul, and medical personnel said that inadequate medical facilities were impeding their ability to treat the injured.
Abrar, the manager of a hospital in Paktika, the worst-affected province, stated, “Those injured that was in a severe condition and needed operations, (which) we can’t do here, have been taken to Kabul.”
The catastrophe is a significant test for Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban rulers, who have been ostracised by many Western nations since taking over the nation last year amid worries about their respect for human rights.
Due to Western sanctions, Afghanistan has been cut off from a lot of direct international aid, worsening a humanitarian catastrophe that existed in large parts of the country even before this week’s earthquake.
The United Nations and a number of other nations have sent relief to the afflicted areas, and more is expected to come in the coming days. The Taliban made a request for additional aid shipments on Saturday to assist earthquake victims.
Mohammad Amen Hozifa, a spokesman for the provincial government of Paktika, said, “We call on all humanitarian organizations to support the people.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that the country would send 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including tents, towels, beds, and other supplies to aid earthquake victims.
