UNICEF Warns Thousands of Children at Immediate Risk After Northern Afghanistan Earthquake
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a statement warning that thousands of children and families are facing serious threats and require urgent assistance following the recent earthquake in Afghanistan’s Balkh and Samangan provinces. The quake caused widespread destruction of homes in the northern regions, leaving many residents exposed to severe cold and without shelter.
Preliminary assessments by UNICEF indicate that a large number of houses in the two provinces have either been completely destroyed or badly damaged. Many families have been forced to abandon their homes, and the current conditions are becoming increasingly difficult, particularly for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups.
In response to the disaster, an inter-agency coordination meeting was held last Tuesday, after which 10 joint assessment teams were deployed to the affected districts of Balkh and Samangan. Alongside these teams, UNICEF and its partners have dispatched medical teams to deliver emergency treatment, primary healthcare, and psychosocial support.
UNICEF noted that many children are experiencing psychological trauma and are in a highly sensitive mental state. Meanwhile, UNICEF’s water and public health personnel and community outreach workers are on the ground, initiating the assessment and response to immediate needs.
The organization has called on the international community and humanitarian aid agencies to increase funding and supplies, emphasizing that children are the most vulnerable in crises like this and must be prioritized in humanitarian relief efforts.
The recent quake struck near the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan border, with its epicenter located 22 kilometers west-southwest of Khulm in Samangan province and 30 kilometers east-southeast of Mazar-i-Sharif. The current situation has once again underscored the Taliban-led administration’s shortcomings in providing emergency services and highlighted the urgent need for international intervention.
