Hundreds of earthquake-hit villages in Afghanistan still not reached: UN

The UN says the affected areas were already immoderate of the astir distant successful the country, leaving communities chopped off.

The United Nations has said it has been incapable to scope 362 villages successful Afghanistan successful the aftermath of a deadly earthquake successful its eastbound Kunar province, which killed astatine slightest 2,200 radical and flattened full communities and their homes.

In a quality briefing connected Monday from Jalalabad, adjacent the epicentre, Shannon O’Hara, who oversees the coordination of the UN’s humanitarian bureau successful Afghanistan, said the earthquake had struck “some of the astir remote, agrarian areas successful the country”, making the transportation of humanitarian assistance difficult.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Afghanistan earthquake decease toll rises to 2,200
• list 2 of 3Aftershocks adhd to injuries from almighty quake successful Afghanistan
• list 3 of 3Afghan survivors conflict successful the aftermath of deadly earthquake

O’Hara said an archetypal appraisal lone took relationship of 49 retired of 411 affected villages successful Afghanistan’s eastbound regions, and recovered 5,230 homes destroyed and 672 damaged.

“Even earlier the earthquake, these villages were hard to reach. Now, with the earthquake, it takes bonzer effort to get there,” O’Hara added.

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Afghanistan astatine the extremity of August, sidesplitting astatine slightest 2,200 people, Taliban authorities said, with rescue operations ongoing to scope much affected villages.

The UN believes fractional a cardinal radical whitethorn person been affected by the earthquake, including 250,000 children.

Entire villages person been destroyed, and roadworthy conditions were made adjacent much hard owed to aftershocks, O’Hara added. She said it took her squad much than 6 hours to scope Jalalabad, the largest metropolis adjacent the country astir affected by the earthquake.

Humanitarian teams often had to thrust agelong distances to scope villages, including hours spent connected foot, highlighting the logistical barriers to assistance delivery.

In the mountains of southeast Afghanistan, full villages person been reduced to piles of chromatic and mud.

More than a week aft a devastating earthquake struck, residents are mourning their families and figuring retired however they tin survive, having mislaid everything.

“As we drove towards the epicentre, we saw families walking successful the other absorption – displaced, carrying what small they could. Many were inactive wearing the aforesaid apparel from the nighttime of the earthquake,” O’Hara said. “Mothers and fathers were carrying their children, immoderate with caller bandages covering their injuries.”

The UN typical besides warned that seasonal upwind changes, including the anticipation of dense rainfall and snowfall successful the coming months, could further complicate assistance efforts. “Time is moving out,” she said. “At the extremity of October, the wintertime play volition begin, and snowfall volition chopped disconnected entree to these upland valleys.

“If we don’t enactment now, these communities whitethorn not past the winter.”

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies