Many people have become homeless after the earthquake in Heart province, Afghanistan on October 7, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua/ VNA)

The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess the country’s needs and provide emergency assistance, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement made on Monday.

On the ground, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) deployed more teams to join ongoing humanitarian efforts. The agency dispatched 10,000 hygiene kits, 5,000 family kits, 1,500 sets of winter clothes, blankets, 1,000 tarpaulins, and basic household items, which will complement support provided by other UN agencies and partners.

The Red Cross Society of China on Sunday said it will provide the Afghan Red Crescent with 200,000 USD in cash as emergency humanitarian assistance to aid its rescue and disaster relief efforts. The Qatar government also announced its support while Pakistan and Iran proposed to send rescue teams to the earthquake site in Afghanistan.

A child is pulled out from the rubbles after the earthquake (Photo: Reuters)

By Monday morning, more than 2,400 people were reported killed and around 1,200 injured, with more than 1,300 houses destroyed. But observers said the damage from the earthquake might be more serious as many villages in the heart of the country are still inaccessible.

Apart from infrastructure difficulties in Afghanistan, it is also one of the world’s poorest countries. Observers fear that international aid might be difficult to get to Afghanistan’s earthquake victims due to the interference of the Taliban.