India has airlifted 21 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Kabul following the devastating earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan over the weekend. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed the operation on Tuesday.
On X, he posted: "Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air. 21 tonnes of relief materials, including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitisers, water purification tablets, ORS solutions and medical consumables were airlifted today."
He added, "India will continue to monitor the ground situation and send more humanitarian aid over the coming days," underlining the country’s commitment to supporting relief operations in the disaster-hit region.
The earthquake, which struck late Sunday night with a magnitude of 6.3, has claimed at least 1,411 lives and injured over 3,000 people, according to officials cited by Al Jazeera. Most casualties have been reported in Kunar province, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Rescue teams face severe challenges reaching victims in remote mountainous regions, many of which remain cut off due to damaged roads and disrupted mobile networks. Amid these difficulties, aid agencies continue to work tirelessly to provide food, water, and medical assistance to affected communities.
In response to the disaster, India dispatched humanitarian supplies. The Ministry of External Affairs had announced on X on Monday: "India extends humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the wake of the earthquake." The post was accompanied by images of trucks carrying sacks of rice and other essential provisions.
The airlifted aid includes a wide range of items designed to meet immediate survival needs, including tents, blankets, sleeping bags, portable water purifiers, generators, kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, essential medicines, and mobility aids like wheelchairs.
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported that the tremors were felt across eastern Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, intensifying the fear among residents. The quake’s epicentre was located in Kama district of Nangarhar province, near the border with Pakistan, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Following the initial tremor, a series of aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4 to 5 complicated rescue operations and heightened the risk to survivors and relief personnel alike.
Preliminary assessments indicate that over 12,000 people have been directly affected across four provinces --Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Nuristan -- where homes and infrastructure have been badly damaged.
Source: ANI