KABUL, Afghanistan (October 26, 2015) — A powerful earthquake struck northern Afghanistan Monday afternoon, with tremors felt as far as Pakistan and India. Afghans in Kabul say it is the strongest earthquake they have experienced.
CARE is very concerned by the earthquake’s impact on poor and vulnerable people, particularly internally displaced people in Afghanistan. CARE staff report minor damage to office buildings and are currently gathering information on the impact in rural areas.
“Obviously the situation is going to be much worse for poor and vulnerable people, particularly those who have been displaced by the conflict. Plus winter is starting and there has been a noticeable drop in temperature over the past few days,” says Christina Northey, CARE’s country director in Afghanistan.
CARE is already responding to humanitarian needs in Afghanistan and Pakistan and is ready to scale up as more information on the impact of the earthquake is available.
The quake had a magnitude of 7.5, according to the US Geological survey reported. The epicenter was in the mountainous Hindu Kush region.
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year CARE worked in 90 countries and reached more than 72 million people around the world. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
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