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Press release: DRC Danish Refugee Council responds to earthquake in Afghanistan
On Saturday devastating earthquakes hit in Western Afghanistan injuring and killing thousands of people and destroying homes. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has been responding to the immediate humanitarian needs in the wake of the earthquake.
As one of the first responders, DRC is on the ground in Herat province aiding the many thousands affected by the earthquakes and assessing the rising needs.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 40 kilometres northwest of the city of Herat, with villages across Zindah Jan district being the most affected. Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces.
Dozens of villages in the province have been destroyed, thousands are caught under the rubbles and the death toll keeps raising as search and rescue operations and assessments of the damage continue. According to an OCHA statement from October 7, 600 families are assessed to have been affected, including 1,400 already internally displaced persons. Many have been injured and are in acute need of medical assistance and the numbers are only expected to rise over the coming weeks.
"During the night, families in the affected areas have sought shelter in the open in fear of another aftershock. We are also seeing that people are moving towards Herat city from the surrounding villages to seek safety and shelter. Our teams are currently assessing the humanitarian needs in the province and providing emergency medical assistance.” says Zia Mayar, Deputy Country Director, Afghanistan.
DRC alongside our local partner, are conducting first assessments in villages in the Zindah Jan area, that have been the most affected, and has deployed four ambulances with paramedics to assist with first aid and transfer of patients to hospitals. Further, the teams are also assisting with the rescue efforts to save those still trapped in the rubbles.
“The Afghan population is already suffering from one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, now further worsened by a catastrophe of this magnitude. We will be working tirelessly to aid those, whose lives and homes have been destroyed overnight,” says the Secretary General, Charlotte Slente.
In the coming weeks, DRC will respond with cash assistance to affected families, whose homes have been destroyed. In coordination with partners, DRC will also be providing emergency protection assistance; we will mobilize communities to remove the rubble and re-open access roads through cash for work, support shelter reconstruction efforts and replace lost assets.
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