Herat victims need protection, says UN

KABUL (Agencies): The United Nations describes the situation in Herat as dire after the earthquakes of the last two weeks and says that the affected people need protection.

The United Nations wrote on its website on Tuesday that the recent earthquakes have directly affected 66,000 people in six districts of Herat.

The news also states that satellite images taken from the earthquake affected areas show that 289 villages have been destroyed in this province.

Meanwhile, Daniel Anders, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Afghanistan, says that the number of victims is increasing.

“We have approximately 66,000 victims, according to our assessments, this number is increasing, but we continue to help,” Anders said in his statement published on the United Nations website on Wednesday.

Anders also emphasized the need for tents, water and medical aid to the earthquake victims.

The Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday that meeting the needs of the Herat earthquake victims is not a matter of a month and may take a year.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced the death toll of the earthquake in Herat at 1,480 and the number of injured at 1,950.

The United Nations also says that people in Herat living in tents need permanent shelter.

The construction of houses and settlements for the victims of the Herat earthquake started on Tuesday in Sia Ab village of Zindajan district in Herat province.

The project was launched in the presence of a number of senior IEA officials including the head of information and culture, the mayor of Injil district, officials from urban planning and Herat municipality.

Maolavi Ahmadullah Muttaqi, head of information and culture in Herat, says that 2,146 houses will be built across 20 villages that were completely destroyed in the recent earthquakes.

Thousands of people have been affected by the deadly earthquakes and are living in tents. However, time is critical for these people as winter is fast approaching. Winters in the province are very cold, snowy, and windy.