21 tonnes of Indian aid reach Kabul as earthquake kills 1,400 in Afghanistan

New Delhi, Sept 3: India delivered 21 tonnes of relief materials to Afghanistan as part of its assistance to earthquake-hit people of that country.

"Indian earthquake assistance reaches Kabul by air," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on social media.

Twenty one tonnes of relief materials including blankets, tents, hygiene kits, water storage tanks, generators, kitchen utensils, portable water purifiers, sleeping bags, essential medicines, wheelchairs, hand sanitisers, water purification tablets and medical consumables were sent on Tuesday, he said.

"India will continue to monitor the ground situation and send more humanitarian aid over the coming days," the External Affairs Minister said.

An image of Indian aid en route to Afghanistan. (Photo:@DrSJaishankar/X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, said India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid to those affected by the quake in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, over 1,400 people were reportedly killed and more than 2,500 injured in eastern Afghanistan after a 6.0 magnitude quake hit the region late Sunday.

The figures provided by Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid were just for the province of Kunar.

Rough terrain is hampering rescue and relief efforts, forcing Taliban authorities to air-drop dozens of commandos to evacuate the injured from places where helicopters cannot land.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UN's resident coordinator for Afghanistan, said rescuers are scrambling in a "race against time" to reach the mountainous and remote area. In a media briefing in Geneva Tuesday, he warned of a surge in casualty numbers.

"We cannot afford to forget the people of Afghanistan who are facing multiple crises, multiple shocks, and the resilience of the communities has been saturated," Ratwatte said, while urging the international community to step forward.

"These are life and death decisions while we race against time to reach people," he said.

It is the third major earthquake since the Taliban seized power in 2021, and the latest crisis to beset Afghanistan, which is reeling from deep cuts to aid funding, a weak economy, and millions of people forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan.

The Taliban government, which is only recognised by Russia, has appealed for assistance from the international community and the humanitarian sector.

However, help for Afghanistan is in short supply due to competing global crises and reduced aid budgets in donor countries.

PTI