Four young children have died from cold-related, preventable illnesses in an earthquake displacement camp in western Afghanistan’s Herat province, UNICEF said, urging donors to move quickly as winter temperatures drop below freezing.
The children died in Zeri Baba camp, where thousands of families have been living in tents since powerful earthquakes struck Herat province in last year. UNICEF said the victims included two girls and two boys — all under the age of three — who succumbed to pneumonia and exposure.
“These deaths were preventable,” UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Tajudeen Oyewale said. He wrote on X that the agency “mourns the death of four young children from preventable cold-related diseases in Zeri Baba camp for earthquake survivors” and urged partners and donors “to act now” to help deliver lifesaving winter aid.
Nighttime temperatures in the region have already fallen below freezing and can drop to –25°C, UNICEF said. The agency estimates that about 270,000 children in quake-affected and nearby areas are at severe risk of hypothermia, pneumonia and other life-threatening cold-related diseases.
UNICEF teams visiting the camps report that many families remain in unheated tents and lack warm clothing, fuel and consistent access to health care. Oyewale said the agency is providing winter clothing, emergency cash for heating, and health and nutrition support, but warned that funding gaps threaten to slow distribution.
The October 2024 earthquakes killed more than 1,500 people and destroyed entire villages, displacing tens of thousands. Aid agencies say Afghanistan’s harsh winter, widespread poverty and ongoing humanitarian crisis have left millions dependent on assistance to survive the coming months.
