[ad_1]
The United Nations lacks search and rescue capabilities in Afghanistan and Turkey is “best positioned” to provide them after a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a senior UN aid official said.
“We talked about this with the Turkish embassy here on the ground and they are waiting for the official request.” said the deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, who coordinates humanitarian operations.
“We will be able to make such a request only after discussion with the de facto authorities and based on what is the reality on the ground at the moment.
The death toll from the powerful earthquake that shook eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of the morning of June 22 has risen to almost 1,000, a number that Afghan officials said is likely to rise as information continues to come from remote mountain villages.
“So far, the information we have is that at least 920 people have been killed and 610 injured.” said Mawlawi Sharafuddin Muslim, deputy minister for disaster management in the Taliban government, during a press conference in Kabul.
“This is initial information and can continue to grow.” told Muslim reporters.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck about 46 kilometers from the southeastern city of Khost, near the border with Pakistan, at a depth of 51 kilometers.
The quake was the deadliest since 2002, when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed about 1,000 people in northern Afghanistan.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
