South Asia earthquake

South Asia earthquake

27 October, 2015

A strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan shook buildings from Kabul to Delhi yesterday.

More than 150 people are believed to have died, mostly in Pakistan, after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake hit Afghanistan’s north-eastern province of Badakhshan early on Monday 26 November.

Telecommunications are mostly down but the number of casualties is expected to rise once contact is made with people in remote Badakhshan province.

Oxfam teams are present in all the affected south Asian countries. They are gathering all possible information. Oxfam's crisis response will depend on the information gathered on the severity of the earthquake and people's need for aid and support.

Rachael Le Mesurier, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand, said:

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Oxfam has teams working with local authorities and organisations assessing the scale of the damage and what is needed and we have teams ready to respond. The extent of damage and casualties is still not very clear as information is only slowly coming in from rural areas, hindered by it being night time now, the difficulty of access to remote areas and lack of communications. We expect a much clearer picture to emerge later today.

"We expect people to be fearful of aftershocks and likely to be sleeping in the open. They will need protection from the elements, food, clean water and hygiene essentials such as soap. It will soon be winter and people will need shelters that will keep them warm from sub zero temperatures."

Donations to support Oxfam's response to humanitarian crises worldwide can be made at oxfam.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media