Doctors Without Borders Warns of Dire Conditions for Kunar Earthquake Survivors

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) has issued a new statement warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation faced by survivors of the recent earthquake in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The international organization says thousands of residents from affected areas are now living in temporary camps and face heightened risks of seasonal illnesses as winter approaches.

In a statement released on Wednesday, November 14, MSF said its medical teams have so far provided healthcare services to over 7,000 people at two camps located in the Nurgal district. According to MSF officials, around 8,000 internally displaced people are currently residing in these camps, many of whom are suffering from depression and a deep sense of hopelessness.

Nahid Noor, one of MSF’s doctors, described the psychological state of the camp residents as alarming, stating, “The sound of the earthquake and destruction continues to echo in the minds of those traumatized.” The organization called the recent quake in Kunar one of the deadliest natural disasters in Afghanistan over the past decade, stressing the urgent need for both material and psychological support for the victims.

MSF warned that continued neglect of these families could lead to outbreaks of respiratory problems, measles, and cough-related illnesses in the coming weeks.

Despite the devastating earthquake displacing thousands of families in eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban administration has yet to take any significant or coordinated steps to address the humanitarian crisis. A lack of structural support, limited access to healthcare, and harsh living conditions have placed survivors on the brink of a severe humanitarian disaster as winter sets in.