The humanitarian disaster caused by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan – the deadliest earthquake in decades – came at a difficult time for the Taliban-ruled country, which is currently facing famine and economic crisis.
The quake comes as nearly half of the population – 20 million people – are starving, according to a UN-backed report in May. This is a situation complicated by the Taliban’s takeover of power in August 2021, which prompted the United States and its allies to freeze about $ 7 billion from the country’s foreign reserves and suspend international funding.
The situation has crippled the economy, which is already heavily dependent on aid. Following the chaotic withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan last year, its economy fell into free fall, with the World Bank predicting in April that “a combination of declining incomes and rising prices has led to a serious deterioration in household living standards.”
The Taliban held an emergency meeting Wednesday to arrange for the transportation of the wounded and material assistance to the victims and their families, said Taliban spokesman Zabiula Mujahid.
Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Ahund convened a meeting at the country’s presidential palace to instruct all relevant agencies to send emergency teams to the affected area, Mujahid said in a tweet.
“Measures have also been taken to provide financial assistance and treatment,” Mujahid said, adding that the agencies were “instructed to use air and land transport to deliver food, clothing, medicine and other needs and to transport the wounded.”
Najibula Sadid, an Afghan water management expert, also said the quake coincided with heavy monsoon rains in the region, making traditional houses, many of mud and other natural materials particularly vulnerable to damage.
“The moment of the earthquake (in) the dark night… and the shallow depth of 10 kilometers from its epicenter led to greater casualties,” he added.
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