UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres has called on the global community to help Afghanistan cope with the consequences of the earthquake. This was said in a statement issued by the Secretary-General on Wednesday.
"We are counting on the international community to help the hundreds of families affected by this disaster. It is the time for solidarity," he said.
Gutteres said UN officials were on the ground assessing the situation and providing urgent assistance. The UN Secretary-General expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan's Paktika, Khost, Laghman, Ghazni, Logar and Kabul provinces last night. According to the Bakhtar News Agency, 1000 people have been killed and 1500 others have been injured. Local authorities fear there could be more casualties.
The Taliban (banned in Russia) leadership has approved $1.1m in aid for earthquake victims and ordered all available air and ground vehicles to transport victims and deliver food, clothing, medicine and relief items to the disaster site.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS