KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Japan and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have delivered emergency relief supplies to survivors of the earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan earlier this week.
The Japanese embassy in Kabul said Saturday that its relief supplies — including blankets and sleeping pads — have arrived in the capital and were handed over to the Afghan Red Crescent Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for distribution in the worst-hit areas.
“I hope that the emergency relief goods will reach swiftly to those most in need,” said Kenichi Masamoto, Japan’s ambassador to Afghanistan. he people of Japan stand in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan especially at difficult time.”
UNICEF also announced it has distributed 427 hygiene kits and winter clothing packages to earthquake-affected families in Samangan, one of the hardest-hit province. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan wrote on X that more assistance is on the way.
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, November 3, shaking large parts of northern Afghanistan, with Samangan and Balkh provinces hit the hardest. The quake claimed 25 lives and left nearly 1,000 people injured. UN agencies and local authorities report that the tremor caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure, leaving families in urgent need of food, shelter, and medical care.
Humanitarian groups warn that the onset of winter could worsen conditions for survivors still struggling to recover from the disaster.
