UK provides emergency aid to Afghanistan earthquake victims

The Foreign Office has announced emergency funding to support families affected by the earthquake which hit Afghanistan on Sunday.

Victims of the quake, which killed more than 800 people and injured thousands, will receive immediate humanitarian support, the Foreign Office said.

These funds will be split equally between the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Red Cross (IFRC) to deliver healthcare and emergency supplies to Afghans in the most affected regions.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “News of the earthquake in the Kunar province of Afghanistan is truly tragic.

“The UK remains committed to the people of Afghanistan, and this emergency funding will help our partners to deliver critical healthcare and emergency supplies to the most hard-hit.

“The UK remains grateful to the aid workers on the ground, who help us to provide support to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable people.”

The £1 million in emergency funding will contribute to UNFPA’s earthquake response, including mobile health teams, emergency medical kits, dignity kits and shelters for displaced families, the Foreign Office said.

UNFPA teams will also provide maternal healthcare and psychological support at existing facilities in Kunar – the worst-affected province.

Meanwhile, funding to the IFRC will support their mobilisation of local volunteers for search and rescue operations, and deployment of ambulances to transport wounded Afghans to health centres.

Mountainous terrain and recent flooding have restricted access to many areas hit by the earthquake, adding to Afghanistan’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, where more than 23 million people already require assistance, the Foreign Office said.