Initial UN Assessments Reveal Major Damage After Afghanistan Earthquake
Recent preliminary evaluations by the United Nations regarding the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan indicated that a total of 5,230 residences were completely destroyed, while an additional 672 suffered damage across 49 villages. However, the UN has been unable to reach most of the remote areas.
Shannon O’Hara, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, stated on Monday that the rugged and mountainous terrain in the eastern region, where the earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.0, has significantly hindered the assessment process in 441 affected villages. Furthermore, a series of aftershocks, measuring between 5.2 and 5.6 in magnitude, has complicated the evaluation efforts.
The earthquake, which struck on August 31, resulted in at least 2,200 confirmed fatalities, a figure that is expected to rise as more bodies are recovered. The UN estimates that approximately 500,000 individuals have been impacted by the quake, with over half of them being children, including many Afghans who have been forcibly repatriated from Pakistan and Iran.
O’Hara highlighted the extreme difficulty of accessing the hardest-hit areas, noting that it took around six and a half hours to travel from Jalalabad, the nearest major city, to the disaster’s epicenter. The route is narrow, featuring one lane carved into the mountainside and blocked by boulders due to landslides.
Moreover, many vehicles, including trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, have been attempting to reach the valley to assist the affected population.