UAE aid ship sets sail for Afghanistan with 2,500 tonnes of supplies after earthquake

Food, shelter, and medical supplies on board aid vessel

A UAE aid ship set sail on Thursday to deliver relief for the people of Afghanistan following the earthquake that killed more than 2,200 in the country.

The ship, carrying 2,500 tonnes of food, shelter, and medical supplies, set sail for Gwadar Port in Pakistan in preparation for its land transfer to Afghanistan.

It was sent following directives from President Sheikh Mohamed, state news agency Wam reported, and was equipped in co-operation with the Emirates Agency for International Aid and with the participation of several UAE-based charitable and humanitarian organisations.

Concerted effort

The aid ship comes as part of the UAE's commitment to bolstering the humanitarian response to the earthquake.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake, which was 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.

Sheikh Mohamed had previously directed teams from Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, the National Guard and the Joint Operations Command to assist in the response to the earthquake.

Three planes carried 105 tonnes of food on Sunday night as part of an air and sea aid route established by the Emirates. 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, Dubai Humanitarian airlifted a further 84 tonnes of medical supplies, shelter materials and relief items valued at Dh3.4 million ($930,000).