UN representatives for Afghanistan have visited the country’s southeast to discuss the “speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance” to the region where hundreds of people were killed in a powerful earthquake last month.
Markus Potzel and Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special representatives of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan met with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the acting interior minister of the Taliban-led government and local leaders in Khost Province on July 22, Afghan media reported.
In a gathering that was also attended by earthquake-affected families, UN officials pledged to accelerate the delivery of aid for the victims, the reports said.
Tolonews quoted Potzel as saying that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will construct shelters for nearly 2,000 families who have lost their homes.
UNAMA said on Twitter that a UN team “is on the ground delivering much-needed essentials, including food, water, medical care, and temporary shelters, to affected communities and families.”
“UN plans to work with experts to conduct seismological studies on the broader region,” it added.
The 5.9-magnitude quake struck villages in mountainous regions of Paktika and Khost provinces near the country’s border with Pakistan on June 22, flattening homes and triggering landslides. At least 1,150 people were killed in the quake, and hundreds more were injured. Tens of thousands were left homeless.
The UN humanitarian coordination organization, OCHA, launched an appeal for $110 million to urgently help 362,000 people for the next 90 days in the hardest-hit areas.
The disaster has posed a challenge for the Taliban-led government, which is not recognized by any country and is already battling a severe humanitarian disaster.
Taliban rulers have pledged that they would not interfere with international efforts to distribute aid to those affected by the earthquake.