EU says sending aid after earthquake in Afghanistan
Afghans walk past damaged houses, after earthquakes at Mazar Dara village in Nurgal district, Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan, Sept. 1. AFP-Yonhap
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Union said on Tuesday it was sending 130 tonnes of emergency supplies and unlocking 1 million euros to help victims of the deadly earthquake that hit Afghanistan.
More than 1,400 people are known to have been killed and thousands injured in the 6.0-magnitude earthquake, which hit remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan at around midnight on Sunday, followed by at least five aftershocks.
The United Nations has warned that the quake could impact "hundreds of thousands" and warned of an "exponential" rise in casualties.
The EU said that it was flying in the aid — including tents, clothes and medical items — on two special flights scheduled to arrive in Kabul this week.
The new aid comes on top of some 160 million euros ($185 million) in aid the EU has allocated to humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan this year.
After decades of conflict, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world.
It faces a protracted humanitarian crisis and the influx of millions of Afghans forced back to the country by neighbours Pakistan and Iran in recent years.
The EU has carefully calibrated its engagement with the country since the Taliban swept back into power in 2021 to avoid having too close ties to the authorities.