The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says four children have died from pneumonia and cold-related complications in earthquake-affected areas of Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
According to a statement from UNICEF, the children passed away last weekend in the “Zari Baba” displacement camp in Nurgal district.
The victims were identified as Taqwa, a three-year-old boy; Osmani, a nine-month-old girl from the Sholat valley; and Zakaria, aged two and a half, along with Abdullah, an eight-month-old boy from the Mamagul valley of Nurgal district.
UNICEF warned that 270,000 children in Afghanistan’s earthquake-stricken region are at risk of cold-related illnesses, as nighttime temperatures drop below freezing and could reach as low as -25 Degrees of Centigrade.
Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, expressed deep concern for children whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake, leaving them displaced and exposed to harsh winter conditions.
The agency called on partners and donors to take urgent action to provide essential winter assistance to protect affected children.
The earthquake, which struck eastern Afghanistan around three months ago, caused the most severe casualties and destruction in Kuanr. Nearly 2,000 people were killed, and thousands of homes were destroyed, forcing hundreds of families to seek shelter in temporary camps.
