India sends aid as quake death toll touches 1,150
Rezaul H Laskar
NEW DELHI: India has sent 27 tonne of emergency relief assistance for the people of Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 5.9-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 1,150 people.
The relief materials were sent on two flights, one of which also carried a “technical team” that was deployed at the Indian embassy in Kabul to re-establish the country’s diplomatic presence in Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban takeover in August last year.
In a tweet, external affairs minister S Jaishankar described the despatch of the emergency assistance as the action of “a true first responder”.
The relief materials include essential items such as family ridge tents, sleeping bags, blankets, and sleeping mats. The consignment will be handed over to the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) in Kabul, the external affairs ministry said. “As always, India stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, with whom we share centuries old ties, and remains firmly committed to provide immediate relief assistance for the Afghan people,” the ministry said in a statement.
A heavy lift aircraft of the Indian Air Force was used to ferry the first consignment of relief materials while a chartered flight of Kam Air carried the second consignment of aid for Afghan people affected by the earthquake that struck early on Wednesday, with its epicentre a short distance from the city of Khost.
Heavy rains, lack of equipment, and rugged terrain are affecting rescue efforts and people are feared to be still buried in the rubble of mud brick houses.
The Taliban setup in Kabul is also grappling with an economic crisis and a severe food shortage has affected a third of the country’s population.