India airlifts 21 tonnes of earthquake aid to Kabul, says EAM Jaishankar

New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): Indian earthquake assistance has reached Kabul by air, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated on Tuesday.

He informed in a post on X, "Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air. 21 tonnes of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitizers, water purification tablets, ORS solutions and medical consumables were airlifted today."

Jaishankar added, "India will continue to monitor the ground situation and send more humanitarian aid over the coming days," highlighting India's commitment to supporting the relief operations in the aftermath of the disaster.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night has risen to 1,411, officials said, according to Al Jazeera. Rescue efforts are ongoing as teams search for survivors following the magnitude 6.0 quake, which has left over 3,000 people injured, with the majority of casualties reported in Kunar province. Aid workers are facing major challenges in reaching remote, mountainous areas that have been cut off from roads and mobile networks, making relief operations difficult.

In response to the disaster, India has extended urgent humanitarian assistance to support operations in the affected region.

In a post on X on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, "India extends humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the wake of the earthquake." The post featured images of trucks loaded with sacks of rice and other food supplies, symbolising India's commitment to stand by Afghanistan during this critical time.

The earthquake struck early Monday morning with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale, and tremors were felt across the region, including parts of Pakistan, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). A series of aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4 to 5, followed the initial quake, complicating rescue operations further.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the earthquake's epicentre was in the Kama district of Nangarhar Province, near the Pakistan border. Preliminary reports indicate that at least 800 people have been killed across four provinces--Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Nuristan--while around 12,000 people have been directly affected. (ANI)

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