Afghan residents clear debris as they look for victims' bodies in the rubble of damaged houses after the earthquakes in Siah Ab village, Zendeh Jan district of Herat province on Oct 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
China and the international community have expressed their condolences and offered emergency support to Afghanistan following deadly earthquakes.
Two 6.2-magnitude earthquakes jolted the western province of Herat on the afternoon of Oct 7 (local time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.
According to local authorities, the death toll from the earthquakes had risen to 2,445 by the night of Oct 8, with thousands more injured.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it mourned the victims and offered sympathy to those affected, in a statement on Oct 8.
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority has already put a search and rescue team on standby to assist the Afghan government in rescuing victims from the rubble
On the same day, the Red Cross Society of China said that it had decided to provide the Afghan Red Crescent with $200,000 in cash as emergency humanitarian assistance to aid its rescue and disaster relief efforts.
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Chinese International Development Cooperation Agency spokesman Xu Wei extended condolences for the serious casualties and property losses brought by the earthquake and said that the agency is willing to provide emergency humanitarian assistance based on the needs of those affected, Global Times reported on Oct 8.
“I think it is very important now for the international community to step in and help Afghanistan’s people,” said, Amina Khan, director of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East, and Africa at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in Pakistan.
“So far, neighboring countries have been at the forefront. Pakistan and Iran have offered to send Afghanistan humanitarian aid and China's Red Cross Society … has also offered not only cash relief, but other aid as well.”
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority has already put a search and rescue team on standby to assist the Afghan government in rescuing victims from the rubble.
ALSO READ: Death toll in Afghan quakes soars to 2,053
It is also sending relief items including food, medication, tents, and blankets.
The worst affected area is the Zinda Jan district in Herat, where 13 villages have been "utterly destroyed", according to Mawlawi Musa Ashari, Herat's provincial director for the National Disaster Management Authority.
In a statement, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, offered his sincere condolences to Afghanistan over the devastating earthquakes.
Taha said that the OIC stands in full support of and solidarity with Afghanistan and its people in this trying moment.
Qatar also expressed its solidarity with the Afghan people.
ALSO READ: Afghanistan seeks help for quake survivors; aftershock kills 5
"Qatar stands with the victims of the earthquake and is fully prepared to provide necessary assistance for recovery," the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Oct 8.
So far, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban has been very quick to respond, said Khan from the ISSI.
She added that the Taliban has been trying to help civilians in their limited capacities, as sanctions have been placed on them.
“There are limitations when the entire economy has been dependent on the international community,” Khan said.
“The international community seems to be more concentrated on what is happening on the Israeli-Palestinian issue,” she said, referring to the fighting that broke out over the weekend after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel.
Khan said that it is important not to forget the suffering of the common people in Afghanistan. “The focus has to be on the humanitarian aspect here.”
READ MORE: Quake in Afghanistan kills at least 13, nine of them in Pakistan
Khan said that some countries should step away from using aid as a political tool when it comes to natural disasters such as earthquakes. Instead, they should extend their hand and help those in need.
Xinhua reported that national and provincial authorities in Afghanistan have dispatched rescue teams to help those affected.
Due to limited rescue equipment, local residents and rescue workers in the hardest-hit Zinda Jan district have had to dig through the rubble with their hands.
Trucks loaded with food, medicine, ambulances, and excavators were heading toward Herat province.
However, the road from Kabul to Herat has been destroyed by bombs due to years of war, making the journey much more difficult for drivers racing to deliver quake-relief materials.
Xinhua contributed to this story.
