Earthquake: Fundraisings underway at home, abroad

KABUL (Pajhwok): Fundraising campaigns have been launched inside and outside the country to help the earthquake affected families in Paktika and Khost provinces and aids from the United Nations and other organizations have reached the quake-hit region.

With the epicenter 44km from Khost City, the 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan at about 2:25am (local time) on Wednesday.  The tremors were felt besides Afghanistan in Pakistan and India.

Not only the Afghan government, aid agencies and individuals, but the United Nations and a number of countries have pledged assistance for the quake victims, some of the aid has reached the region.

The government has approved 100 million afghanis in cash for the quake victims and announced 100,000 afghanis for the families of those killed and 50,000 afghanis for each injured in the quake.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his condolences over the deaths and injuries caused by the earthquake in Afghanistan. He wrote on his Twitter account that UN teams had arrived in the area to help.

The deputy UN special envoy to Afghanistan has reiterated that at least $15 million is urgently needed to help those affected by the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

UN's deputy special envoy to Afghanistan and humanitarian coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said besides aid delivery they were also concerned about diseases after floods, heavy rains and earthquake.  Alakbarov made the remarks in a video conference with reporters in Kabul on Wednesday.

He said it was important to educate people about health issues during heavy rains and there was a fear that people would face a dilemma in the future.

He said they had sent 45 ambulances and ten tons of medicines, tents and other supplies in coordination with various agencies to Paktika province.

Besides surgeons and other doctors, 18 mobile medical teams to Paktika and eight separate ambulances and two teams of medics had also been sent to Spera district of the province.

The UN official said their focus was now on the worst-hit areas, such as Gayan district.

The World Food Program (WFP) also announced on its official Twitter account that it had sent 239 food trucks to Paktika and would distribute them according to its program.

China has also announced emergency assistance to the victims of the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

China Radio International quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin as saying that the country would provide humanitarian assistance according to the needs of Afghans.

A Chinese company MCC has also announced food aid worth 20 million afghanis for the earthquake victims in Paktika and Khost.

MCC is a state-owned company implementing the Aynak copper project in Afghanistan.

"We promise to provide food items worth 20 million afghanis to the quake-hit areas," Sifatullah Rahimi, director of the company's Afghanistan branch, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

A Saudi charity has also announced assistance to the quake victims in Khost and Paktika.

The charity today without elaborating said that it would soon help 600 earthquake-affected families.

The Pakistani embassy in Kabul said in a statement to Pajhwok Afghan News that food and non-food items had reached the quake-hit areas.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the caretaker government and deputy minister of information and culture, also wrote on his Twitter account today that eight trucks carrying food and other necessities had reached Paktika by land from Pakistan.

He said two humanitarian aid planes had arrived in the country from Iran and one from Qatar.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its official website that humanitarian aid had reached the quake-hit areas through the country's Red Crescent.

The statement did not specify the amount of aid, but said that Turkey was ready to provide any assistance to those affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan.

Zmarai Kamgar, the head of Kam Air, a private airline, said in a message posted on Facebook that 10 million afghanis in cash and 2,000 bags of flour would be donated to help the quake victims through the Natural Disaster Relief Commission.

Maulvi Sharafuddin Muslim, Deputy Minister of State for Disaster Management, told reporters in Kabul that today's cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan approved 100,000 afghanis to each martyr and 50,000 afghanis for each injured in the quake.

In addition, a number of money changers, traders and charities in the country, as well as Afghans living abroad, have launched campaigns to raise funds for the quake victims.

People have also launched fundraising campaigns in Balkh, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Paktia provinces while Afghans living in foreign countries have launched relief campaigns for the affected residents of Paktika and Khost provinces.

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