UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance to the people affected by the earthquake.
This was stated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who also expressed his grief over the loss of life Herat city, his spokesman said.
“The Secretary General expresses his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and extends his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a swift recovery to those injured,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Initial assessments indicate that the 6.3 magnitude quake caused nearly 200 deaths across eight villages with a further 500 people injured, according to an update from UN humanitarian office (OCHA.
The UN partners and local authorities anticipated the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continued amid reports that some people might be trapped under collapsed buildings.
In total, 4,200 people, or about 600 families, were assessed to have been affected to date, including 1,400 internally displaced persons, the UN agency said.
Coordinating with the Taliban authorities, including the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Food Programme (WFP), and other aid agencies deployed five emergency assessment teams as part of an initial response.
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