Following 2,200 fatalities from earthquakes, Afghanistan hit by two strong aftershocks.

In an area where earthquakes have killed over 2,200 people, two strong aftershocks that occurred 12 hours apart in eastern Afghanistan raised concerns about additional fatalities and damage on Friday as rescuers fought against severe weather and hilly terrain.

As the United Nations and other organizations warn of a dire need for money, food, medical supplies, and shelter, survivors in the earthquake-prone area are rushing for basic necessities. The World Health Organization is requesting $4 million in funding. The most recent aftershocks come after two earthquakes that devastated a country already engulfed in poverty, war, and dwindling resources. By Thursday, the Taliban government projected 3,640 wounded and 2,205 fatalities.

Hospital-ferried ambulances According to provincial health spokesman Naqibullah Rahimi, 13 persons were hurt in Nangarhar province on Thursday night following a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that had its epicentre in the Shiwa district close to the Pakistani border.
He added that three were in stable condition and ten were released following treatment. Hours after Thursday’s earthquake, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) reported that Friday’s 5.4-magnitude earthquake occurred in the southeast at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
In order to protect themselves from shocks, several families chose to remain outside rather than go back to their homes, which were primarily made of stone, timber, and dry brick.

Fearing more tremors, residents in Kunar’s Nurgal area have fled their homes and are now living in tents, on the nearby highland beside a river, or outdoors.
Rescue and relief efforts were hampered by fallen rocks and earth that obstructed access to some severely damaged settlements, they said.

One of Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes of the week occurred just before midnight on Sunday, with a magnitude of 6. It struck at a shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles), causing damage and destruction in the provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar. A second earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck Tuesday, sending rocks cascading down slopes and cutting off access to villages in remote locations, causing panic and disrupting rescue attempts.

Rescuers removed bodies from the debris Thursday after the two initial earthquakes destroyed over 6,700 homes and leveled villages in both provinces.
The Hindu Kush mountain region, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge, is the primary location for earthquakes in Afghanistan.

The WHO requested for additional funding to provide healthcare and disease surveillance, citing landslides and debris on important highways as obstacles to relief efforts. It issued a warning about the dangers of disease brought on by overcrowded shelters, contaminated water, and improper waste disposal, as the already precarious healthcare system is put under stress by the recent deportation of Afghans from Pakistan.

Soon after the tragedy on Sunday, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan issued a desperate call for foreign assistance.
However, aid has been limited in a nation that has been mostly disregarded by the international community since the Taliban took power in 2021 and is currently battling to house millions of Afghans who were forced to flee neighboring Iran and Pakistan, as well as drought sufferers in its northern region.

A senior official in the nation stated that the United Nations, which has warned that finances to aid earthquake victims may soon run out, intends to issue an urgent call for donations.
$10 million has been issued, which is more than the small amount of money that wealthy countries have stated, but some have provided tents and other aid. “We have some seed funding, but we are looking to make a flash appeal,” Kate Carey, deputy head of the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office for Afghanistan .