Afghanistan State Ministry for Disaster Management has said that 1036 people have been martyred, 3,018 others wounded and 17,816 residential houses have been destroyed due to a 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost provinces, especially remote areas like Giyan, Barmal, Zherok and Spera districts.
Speaking to reporters in a news conference, Deputy Mininster of the country’s disaster management Mawlavi Sharafuddin Muslim said the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s southeastern areas have inflected huge human and financial losses.
“Besides first and early steps taken following the earthquake, with close cooperation of relevant disaster management organs particularly high commission on disaster management, national and international organizations, domestic welfare foundations, local officials, air forces and mujahidin the state ministry for disaster management as a responsible organ has taken urgent and necessary steps towards addressing the earthquake-affected people and manage all the first aid services in the earthquake-hit areas,” Mawlavi Muslim said, adding that working teams of the state ministry for disaster management have been seriously instructed to coordinate resources and aids, which went well.
He said that provincial directors for disaster management in other provinces have been also instructed to hold meetings of provincial commissions on disaster management with supervision of the governor office to take actions to address the earthquake-hit people and areas.
According to deputy minister for disaster management, the leadership of the state ministry for disaster management has paid an urgent visit to the earthquake-hit areas to closely see operation launched for addressing the earthquake-hit people in Paktika and Khost provinces, coordinate and open distribution of urgent food and cash assistance to the affected families in the respective provinces. “Each martyr family has received 100,000 afghani and each wounded family received 50,000 afghani distributed by the officials of the state ministry for disaster management,” Mawlavi Muslim said, adding that the ministry with close cooperation of national and international organizations has distributed foodstuff, non-food items and cash assistance to 10,000 earthquake-hit families and the process was going on.
He praised the country’s Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, head of high commission on disaster management, the country’s air forces and MoD, MoF, MoPH, MRRD, Afghan red crescent society, donor countries as Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, Qatar, UAE and other countries, national and international organizations for their support and assistance to the earthquake-hit people.
According to state ministry for disaster management, based on direct instruction of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Supreme Leader, a planning center has been created with direct supervision of deputy minister of disaster management and memberships of ministry of refugees and repatriation, Afghan red crescent society and local officials of Paktika and Khost to address the earthquake-hit families.
Saida Ahmadi
Earthquake-hit families receive foodstuff, cash assistance
