AFGHANISTAN Powerful Earthquake May Worsen Humanitarian Crisis

Kabul (26 October 2015) - A powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan Monday afternoon, with tremors felt as far as Pakistan and India. Afghans in Kabul say it is the strongest earthquake they have experienced.

International aid organization CARE is very concerned by the earthquake’s impact on poor and vulnerable people, particularly internally displaced people in Afghanistan. CARE staff report minor damage to office buildings and are currently gathering information on the impact in rural areas.

“Obviously the situation is going to be much worse for poor and vulnerable people, particularly those who have been displaced by the conflict. Plus winter is starting and there has been a noticeable drop in temperature over the past few days” says Christina Northey, CARE country director in Afghanistan.

CARE is already responding to humanitarian needs in Afghanistan and Pakistan and is ready to scale up as more information on the impact of the earthquake is available.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.7, according to the US Geological survey reported. The epicenter was in the mountainous Hindu Kush region.

Media Contact:

Anders Nordstoga, Media and Communications Coordinator.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +47 90 84 24 58