Just before midnight on August 31, a magnitude 6 earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, near its border with Pakistan. Local sources report more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured across four eastern provinces, including Kunar and Nangarhar.
A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team is on the ground helping to assess the needs of people affected by the quake. MSF staff in Kabul felt the shockwave, but all our staff are safe and accounted for.
MSF is assessing needs and distributing emergency kits in Jalalabad
On Tuesday, September 2, an MSF team reached Jalalabad, a city close to the epicenter, to assess the needs and prepare for a potential medical intervention.
Our colleagues visited the regional hospital in Jalalabad, where more than a hundred people injured in the earthquake have received surgery and around 600 patients have been admitted so far. The hospital was already full before the earthquake, and health workers are working at full capacity with a lack of supplies. We distributed emergency kits and are planning to visit other affected areas.
MSF is ready to collaborate with local authorities and health organizations present in Jalalabad. We will soon have better visibility on how we can best provide care to communities in Nangarhar, Kunar, and Laghman provinces.
A full assessment is urgently needed for the true scope of the humanitarian situation
As the earthquake struck in a hard-to-reach area, it is difficult to assess the needs at this stage, but we know it has already resulted in a devastating human toll. Hospitals keep receiving patients who have sustained traumatic injuries, while local sources report that many bodies remain under the rubble.
MSF is concerned about the spread of diseases resulting from lack of basic hygiene, since access to clean water can become very challenging in these circumstances. The destruction of infrastructure has worsened survivors’ living conditions, which will further exacerbate their needs and raise the risk of communicable diseases.
While the full extent of the damage and needs is still being evaluated, there is no doubt that an urgent response from humanitarian and health actors is needed to provide assistance to people affected by the earthquake.
Was MSF already working in the areas affected by the earthquake?
MSF has no medical activities running in the areas most affected by the earthquake, and so far it is difficult for us to have any clear visibility of the situation in the area where most of the damage occurred.
MSF's work in Afghanistan
MSF teams in Afghanistan work to bring health care to remote communities, support strained medical facilities, and provide critical services such as emergency, trauma, maternal, and pediatric care.
