KABUL (SW) – Preliminary findings of a joint UN and NGO assessment in Qadis District in western Afghanistan [Badghis Province] indicate that up to 1,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by the 5.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the district on 17 January.
According to information received from local sources, the number of deaths due to the earthquake has risen to 27.
While assessments are ongoing, initial observations in villages show that communities have also been heavily affected by damages to water sources. They need to be repaired to prevent outbreaks of water-borne diseases.
Food, non-food items, emergency shelter and other assistance is being provided by the International Organization for Migration, the UN Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme and other humanitarian partners.
Meanwhile, a polio vaccination campaign in Kunduz has been carried out successfully since the start of the year. In Badakhshan Province, a house-to-house polio immunization campaign is under way.
ENDS
