Afghanistan struggles for aid after deadly earthquake

• The magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near the town of Khost on the Pakistani border.
• At least 1,500 people have been injured, but the toll is expected to rise.
• The Taliban has sent emergency resources, including helicopters and ambulances, and compensated victims’ families.

Search and rescue operations are underway in eastern Afghanistan after an earthquake killed more than 1,000 people. The country is already facing a grave economic and humanitarian crisis.

The magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck early Wednesday morning near the town of Khost on the Pakistani border.

At least 1,500 people have been injured, but the toll is expected to rise because many families were sleeping in flimsy buildings.

Read more: Afghanistan earthquake: At least 1,000 people have died and more are expected

Images from nearby Paktika province, a rural and mountainous area, show homes reduced to rubble.

The UN estimates 2,000 homes were destroyed. Some slept in makeshift outdoor shelters while rescuers searched by flashlight.

Medics and emergency professionals from around the country and the World Health Group are at the scene.

Many organisations left the aid-dependent country when the Taliban took power in August.

The Taliban has sent emergency resources, including helicopters and ambulances, and compensated victims’ families.

It has also called for foreign support, calling for “the beneficiant assist of all nations, worldwide organizations, people and foundations” on Wednesday.

The earthquake has exacerbated the problems that currently plague Afghanistan.

Read more: Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquakes

The move destroyed Afghanistan’s economy and sent 20 million people into hunger.

Tens of millions of Afghans are unemployed, government workers haven’t been paid, and food prices have risen, with some families selling children to feed.

Those that stay are thin. The WHO said it has activated “all resources” from around the country, with NGOs on the ground providing drugs and emergency aid. One WHO official said, “The sources are overstretched right here, not only for this area.

Urgent needs include medical care and transportation for the hurt, a place to stay and supplies for those who have been forced to leave their homes, and food, water, and clothes.

Read more: Two people killed in an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistan

After withdrawing its soldiers and the collapse of US-backed Afghan administrations, the US has no presence in Afghanistan. Like most nations, it has no official ties to the Taliban.