UN, partners ramp up quake response in Afghanistan

Photo taken on Oct. 9, 2023 shows excavated belongings from ruins following deadly earthquakes in the Zindajan district, Herat province, western Afghanistan. (Photo by Zahir Khan/Xinhua)

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Zindajan district where reports indicate that 100 percent of homes have been destroyed.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The world body and its humanitarian partners are ramping up response to the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the western Afghan province of Herat on Saturday.

The United Nations has deployed assessment teams and is providing emergency shelter supplies, blankets, warm clothes, food, hygiene kits, water buckets, chlorine and dignity kits, among others, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday.

Humanitarian partners have also deployed health teams and are providing trauma and emergency surgery kits, it said.

The UN humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan, Daniel Endres, has approved an emergency reserve allocation from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund of 5 million U.S. dollars to support immediate relief efforts in the earthquake-affected areas, said the office.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in Zindajan district where reports indicate that 100 percent of homes have been destroyed. According to community-level assessments, nearly 1,300 people died and 1,700 others were injured in Zindajan, said OCHA.

In total, it is estimated that more than 12,000 people have been affected across five districts of Herat. Several hundred households have also been displaced to Herat City, it said.

The figures are likely to rise in the coming days as search-and-rescue efforts and assessments continue, it said.