UN, several nations pledge aid to Afghanistan after major earthquake

UN, Pakistan, Iran, China, and Turkey offer aid to Afghanistan after a deadly earthquake kills over 2,000

ISLAMABAD:

The United Nations and several countries are lining up aid for Afghanistan after a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake in the northwest killed more than 2,000 people.

Below are some facts about the pledges so far, as UN agencies try to assess the damage and casualties in Herat province in northwestern Afghanistan.

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The UN humanitarian coordinator has approved a $5 million emergency reserve allocation from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF).

It said its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will launch and fully process the allocation within 24 hours, with eligible partners able to utilize their grants effective from Oct. 9.

The AHF allocations will be depend on receiving additional donor resources, it said, adding that the UN partners will also develop an emergency appeal which will be a subset of the existing 2023 humanitarian response plan.

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Pakistan, Iran and China have pledged to send in food, blankets, medicines, tents and funds.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar said that Kabul had specifically asked for medical teams, field hospitals, tents and blankets, adding that all the requested items were being dispatched on Monday afternoon, with more relief goods to follow.

Read also: Pakistan dispatches relief goods to earthquake-hit Afghanistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdullahian promised humanitarian aid and expressed his readiness to cooperate with Afghanistan, according to a statement.

The Chinese Red Cross Society has pledged $200,000 in aid which will go to the Afghan Red Crescent, according to Chinese state run news agency Xinhua.

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Turkey's foreign office said in a statement it was ready to provide support for the recovery efforts in the affected areas.