UNDP provides funds for earthquake recovery in Afghanistan

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provided US$50,000 to the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) to assist the Government in meeting urgent needs following a series of earthquakes that hit Afghanistan on Monday night, 25 March.

The quakes — the strongest one measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale — hit Afghanistan Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Nahrin district, Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan. According to initial reports, almost 90 percent of the town of Nahrin has been destroyed. According to the estimates of the AIA, about 1,800 people have lost their lives. So far, 1,200 bodies have been counted. Nearly 4,000 people were injured, approximately 1,500 homes were destroyed and 20,000 people were left without shelter.