The last month’s earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 1,182 children, accounting for more than half of all fatalities, UNICEF said Friday.
The figures are based on field assessments and data collected by UNICEF and humanitarian partners, the organization said. The main 6.3-magnitude quake struck Kunar and Nangarhar Provinces on Aug. 31, followed by a series of powerful aftershocks that compounded the destruction.
In total, 2,164 people were killed, 3,428 injured and more than 6,700 homes destroyed or severely damaged, according to U.N. agencies. Over half a million people — including 263,000 children — were directly affected.
“Children are bearing the heaviest burden, with many now without shelter, separated from their families and facing severe trauma,” Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement. He noted that 45 children have been separated from their families and 271 have been orphaned.
In remote mountain villages such as Machkandol in Nangarhar, access remains extremely difficult, with aid teams traveling steep dirt roads to deliver emergency health care, nutrition, psychosocial support and cash assistance.
“Girls are at particular risk — many are dropping out of school, facing early marriage and missing essential health care,” Mr. Oyewale added.
UNICEF said it is treating children for acute malnutrition, deploying mobile health clinics, setting up child-friendly spaces and providing emergency cash transfers to vulnerable households as winter approaches.
The agency has appealed for $22 million to support 400,000 people, including 212,000 children, over the next six months and urged the international community to step up support.
