The UAE has sent aid planes carrying food and medical supplies to Afghanistan to offer a lifeline to people counting the cost of an earthquake that killed more than 2,200 people.
Three planes carried 105 tonnes of food on Sunday night as part of an air and sea aid route established by the UAE. The relief was sent after the Emirates Red Crescent, the philanthropic arm of the UAE Government, delivered its first batch of medical aid to the country.
On Monday, an airlift from Dubai Humanitarian sent a further 84 tonnes of medical supplies, shelter materials and relief items valued at Dh3.4 million ($930,000).
It was organised in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Humanitarian Response Depot and the UN Children’s Fund.
The 6.0-magnitude earthquake, followed by at least five aftershocks, hit remote areas in mountainous provinces of Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan on August 31, reducing homes to rubble. The epicentre was about 27km north-east of the city of Jalalabad, the US Geological Survey said. The tremor struck 8km below the Earth's surface – shallow quakes can inflict greater damage.
Afghanistan was hit by two more powerful earthquakes on Tuesday and Thursday last week. Two aftershocks hit 12 hours apart on Friday.
President Sheikh Mohamed previously directed teams from Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, the National Guard and the Joint Operations Command to assist in the response to the earthquake.
