Australia, Ireland Give Kabul $1.5M After Deadly Quake

KABUL (Pajhwok): The governments of Australia and Ireland have said they will provide more than 1.5 million dollars in aid to the earthquake victims in eastern Afghanistan.

“Australia is giving $1m in aid to Afghanistan amid a“dire humanitarian crisis” worsened by a shock 6.0 magnitude earthquake earlier this week,” the website called The Australian reported.

Announcing the Australian support on Thursday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and International Development Minister Anne Aly said the earthquake“exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, with almost half the population already in desperate need”.

“Our thoughts are with the victims of this tragic earthquake, their families and loved ones, and the Afghanistan community in Australia,” the ministers said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the government of Ireland also announced sending €500,000 for Afghanistan earthquake relief.

Irish Independent reported:“The Government will send €500,000 to support humanitarian relief efforts in Afghanistan after Sunday's devastating earthquake.”

Ireland will contribute 500,000 euro to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support emergency food, water, healthcare and other humanitarian aid for survivors.

Announcing the funding, Tánaiste Simon Harris said:“This earthquake has caused utter devastation.

“The relief operation is going to be very challenging given the mountainous and remote make-up of the area. Landslides and road blockages mean it will take some time to reach people affected.

“There is an urgent need for the international community to assist efforts to get aid to people as quickly as possible. This funding from Ireland will provide basic but life-saving aid to people who have lost everything.”

A number of other countries have also provided assistance to the earthquake victims.

A powerful earthquake, recorded at a magnitude of 6.0 by the US Geological Survey, struck around midnight on Sunday.

Kunar province suffered the heaviest losses, while Nangarhar, Laghman, Panjshir and Nuristan provinces were also affected by the disaster.

On Wednesday, the government reported that at least 1,457 people had been killed so far, 3,394 wounded and 6,782 houses destroyed in Kunar alone.

sa/ma

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