TEHRAN – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has issued a statement appreciating the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for the relief supplies delivered following the devastating earthquake that hit the country.

According to the statement, Iran was the first country to dispatch humanitarian consignments to quake-hit Afghans in Kunar, the IRCS reported.

On August 31, at 23.47 local time, a 6+ magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province near the Pakistan border. The epicenter was located in the Kama district, some 30 km northeast of the city of Jalalabad. Several aftershocks have occurred since, with the initial quake felt in neighbouring provinces including Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan, as well as Kabul. The quake’s hypocenter was estimated at only 8 to 10 km beneath the surface, exacerbating the quake’s impact.

A second earthquake of 5.5 magnitude struck the region on Tuesday, further destabilising the villages.

The Taliban administration has confirmed the death toll at 2,205, with at least 3,640 injured, though the United Nations has warned that the numbers may rise as many people remain trapped under rubble.

More than 6,700 homes have been destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and in urgent need of assistance.

“It is with profound sorrow that we learned about the devastating earthquake that hit Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, and Laghman in eastern Afghanistan, causing many losses of life and injuries. The Iranian Red Crescent Society offers sincere condolences to you and the family of the victims. We stand by the people of Afghanistan, and we are ready to dispatch humanitarian aid as well as relief teams in case needed,” Pirhossein Kolivand,  the head of the IRCS, wrote in a message to the president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), Shahabuddin Delawa, on September 1st.

Following the earthquake, President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy in the “friendly and brotherly” nation of Afghanistan. He also wished a swift recovery for the injured.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi separately conveyed sympathy to the Afghan people and the families of the victims, emphasizing that Iran was fully prepared to dispatch relief and medical teams to the quake-hit areas.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei echoed the pledge, stressing that Iran stands ready to support the treatment of the injured and to work with Afghanistan through regional and joint cooperation to ease the suffering caused by the disaster.

The first shipment involved 100 tons of essential goods, including some 50 tons of relief goods, which were sent via a flight, and 60 tons were transported overland through the Dogharon border.

The consignment included clothing, rice, beans, blankets, and canned food.

“Iran’s Red Crescent Society always stands by the nations caught in humanitarian crises, and in this bitter incident, as always, it will stand with all its might by the noble and affected people of Afghanistan,” Razieh Alishavandi, an official from Iran’s Red Crescent Society, said.

The second shipment, sent on September 6, was delivered to Kabul. It involved 37 tons of foodstuffs, eight tons of sanitary packages, and 10,000 blankets, ISNA reported.

The third consignment was transported on six trucks on September 7. It included essential items like tents, dishes, rice, canned food, and hygiene kits.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that around 84,000 people have been affected directly or indirectly by the earthquakes, with thousands displaced.

An assessment by the British charity Islamic Relief Worldwide found that in some villages, up to two-thirds of residents were either killed or injured, and almost all buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.

Humanitarian groups have called on the international community to increase support, not only to save lives but to help Afghanistan recover from one crisis after another, the IRCS reported.

MT/MG