Two strong aftershocks hit eastern Afghanistan 12 hours apart, raising concerns about further casualties and damage on Friday in an area where previous earthquakes have claimed the lives of around 2,200 individuals. Rescuers are contending with difficult mountainous terrain and adverse weather conditions.

In this earthquake-prone area, survivors are scrambling for essential resources. The United Nations and other organizations alert to an urgent need for funding, food, medical supplies, and shelter. The World Health Organization is requesting $4 million in aid.

The latest aftershocks follow two earthquakes that ravaged a nation already crushed by war, poverty and shrinking aid.

The Taliban administration estimated 2,205 deaths and 3,640 injuries by Thursday.

Thirteen people were taken to the hospital by ambulance after experiencing injuries from a Thursday night tremor with a 6.2 magnitude in Nangarhar province. The epicenter was located in the district of Shiwa close to the Pakistan border, reported regional health spokesperson Naqibullah Rahimi.

Ten were discharged after treatment and three were in stable condition, he added.

A Reuters reporter mentioned that information on the damage was still being collected following continuous aftershocks in Nangarhar, whose capital, Jalalabad, is approximately 95 miles from Kabul.

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake on Friday struck the southeast at a depth of 6.2 miles, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), occurring just a few hours after Thursday’s tremor.

With most houses constructed from dry masonry, stone, and timber, some families opted to stay outdoors to protect themselves from further tremors instead of returning to their homes.

Residents of the Nurgal district of Kunar have left their homes to live in tents, on the surrounding high land near a river, or in the open, for fear of more tremors.

Fallen rocks and earth blocked access to some badly affected villages, holding up rescue and relief efforts, they said.

The week’s first earthquake of magnitude 6, just before midnight on Sunday, was one of Afghanistan’s deadliest, unleashing damage and destruction in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces when it struck at a shallow depth of 6 miles.

A second quake of magnitude 5.5 on Tuesday caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts as it sent rocks sliding down mountains and cut off roads to villages in remote areas.

The two initial quakes flattened villages in both provinces, destroying more than 6,700 homes, and rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble on Thursday.

Afghanistan’s earthquakes mainly happen in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

FUNDING CRISIS

Landslides and debris on key roads hampered relief work, the WHO said, as it called for more funds to provide healthcare and disease surveillance.

“A funding gap of at least $4 million threatens to delay critical activities, underscoring the urgent need for international support,” it added in a statement.

It warned of the risk of disease, stemming from overcrowded shelters, unsafe water and inappropriate waste management, while an influx of Afghans recently deported from Pakistan strains the fragile healthcare system.

Afghanistan’s Taliban government made an urgent appeal for international aid soon after Sunday’s disaster.

But relief has been scant in a country largely ignored by the world since the Taliban takeover in 2021, that is struggling to accommodate millions of Afghans expelled from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, as well drought victims in its north.

The United Nations, which has said money to help quake victims will run out soon, plans to launch an emergency appeal for funds, a senior official in the country said.

It has released $10 million, more than the trickle of cash announced by rich nations, though some have sent assistance such as tents.

“We have some seed funding, but we are looking to make a flash appeal,” Kate Carey, deputy head of the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office for Afghanistan, told Reuters.