EU humanitarian aid to earthquakes in the Hindu Kush region (Afghanistan)

The European Commission through its the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) is closely monitoring the situation following the earthquakes in the Hindu Kush mountains in North-East Afghanistan. ECHO-funded assistance, in the form of 500 tents and a thousand blankets has already been dispatched by the French NGO ACTED, one of ECHO's partners operating in the area. ACTED is mobilizing a further 1500 tents and 1500 shelter kits stocked in Shomali, north-east of Kabul. The supplies were already in place as part of a winter needs programme for internally displaced people in Baghlan province and of a shelter programme in the Shomali area.

An ECHO expert based in Kabul is attending a meeting of the hastily convened earthquake task force. The latest indications are that the town of Nahrin has suffered serious damage. ECHO has received reports that up to 1200 people in the district may have been killed with a further 1500 injured. The affected area has an estimated population of 80,000 (with around 20,000 in the town of Nahrin itself).

ECHO is ready to mobilize further assistance speedily should the need arise. It hopes to have a fuller picture of the scale of the disaster as soon as possible.

| Arriba |

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