The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has allocated $10 million in emergency funding to support relief efforts for victims of the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan earlier this week.
The quake hit just before midnight on Sunday, shaking several provinces, including Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Panjsher. Kunar province suffered the most severe impact, with widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure. According to Hamidullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, the death toll in Kunar has risen to 2,205, while more than 3,640 people have been injured. Rescue operations are still underway, with authorities warning that the numbers could rise further as remote villages remain difficult to access.
At a press briefing in New York, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric quoted Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher as saying that OCHA’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) had swiftly released $10 million within hours of the quake to kickstart humanitarian operations. However, Fletcher emphasized that the needs far exceed the current resources. “Unless more funds are mobilised urgently, suffering will increase and more lives will be lost,” he warned.
In addition to OCHA’s allocation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has delivered $4.5 million worth of emergency relief items to the worst-affected areas, including Kunar and Nangarhar. The supplies consist of family tents, blankets, solar lamps, gas stoves, tarpaulins, and water containers—enough to provide immediate assistance to 5,600 families. UNHCR officials cautioned, however, that their in-country stockpiles are rapidly depleting due to the simultaneous demand for aid from Afghans recently deported from Iran and Pakistan.
Local communities and humanitarian groups have also been mobilizing support, with reports of hundreds of families spending nights in the open air amid continuing aftershocks. Medical teams are struggling to treat the injured as hospitals face shortages of medicines and equipment. The destruction of key roads in mountainous districts has further hampered access for relief convoys.
The earthquake adds to Afghanistan’s already dire humanitarian crisis, where more than 23 million people—over half the population—depend on aid due to ongoing economic collapse, conflict, drought, and displacement. Aid agencies warn that without urgent international support, the disaster could trigger a new wave of displacement and exacerbate food insecurity in the affected provinces.
So far, several international organizations and neighboring countries have expressed readiness to provide humanitarian assistance, but Afghan authorities and UN officials stress that a coordinated global response will be essential to prevent further tragedy.
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