News- Middle East: Rescue workers in Afghanistan continue to recover bodies and search for survivors after devastating earthquakes struck the country’s eastern provinces, killing more than 2,200 people.

Iran offered humanitarian aid to assist with relief efforts, sending around 200 tonnes of supplies through the Iranian Red Crescent Society and pledging further support to help the affected communities.

The earthquakes, which hit the mountainous regions of Kunar and Nangarhar, have caused widespread destruction.

The first tremor, registering a magnitude of 6.0, struck on Sunday at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in Afghanistan in recent years.

A second earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday interrupted rescue operations and caused landslides, cutting off access to many remote villages and making the delivery of aid more difficult.

The Taliban administration has confirmed the death toll at 2,205, with at least 3,640 injured, though the United Nations has warned that the numbers may rise as many people remain trapped under rubble.

More than 6,700 homes have been destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and in urgent need of assistance.

In Kunar province, one of the worst-hit areas, entire villages were flattened. Residents like Aalem Jan described the scale of the devastation.

“Everything we had has been destroyed,” he said. “The only remaining things are these clothes on our backs.”

His family, like many others, has been forced to take shelter outdoors, under trees, with whatever few belongings they could salvage.

Aid agencies have described the humanitarian needs as vast and rapidly growing.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that around 84,000 people have been affected directly or indirectly by the earthquakes, with thousands displaced.

An assessment by the British charity Islamic Relief Worldwide found that in some villages, up to two-thirds of residents were either killed or injured, and almost all buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.

Survivors have been seen desperately searching through rubble, carrying bodies on makeshift stretchers, and digging graves by hand.

Rescue teams are using trucks to transport food and supplies to hard-to-reach areas, while helicopters have dropped commando forces at sites inaccessible by road.

However, ongoing aftershocks and unstable ground, worsened by recent heavy rains, continue to hamper relief efforts.

Afghanistan’s vulnerability to earthquakes is heightened by its location where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Many homes are built from stone, dry masonry and timber, which offer little protection against seismic activity.

The country also faces a shortage of resources for rescue and relief work, due to decades of war, poverty, and a sharp reduction in international aid.

Funding cuts by the US government in recent years and donor concerns about the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women and aid workers have further isolated Afghanistan.

The World Health Organization has highlighted a critical funding gap of $3 million needed to maintain medical supplies and trauma kits as demand rises.

Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme has only enough funding and stock to support survivors for about four more weeks.

Humanitarian groups have called on the international community to increase support, not only to save lives but to help Afghanistan recover from one crisis after another.

Source: Press TV