Kazakhstan delivers 1,600 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

According to the press service of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, Kazakhstan has sent humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after it was hit by an earthquake. The cargo of medicine is expected to reach people in the devastated area today.

What did the ministry report? According to the agency, the country’s government decided to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan which has been suffering from a recent earthquake.

«The government has donated food, tents, clothes and bedclothes,» the ministry said in a statement.

In total, the humanitarian aid includes 1,659 tons of 13 types of different goods.

Drugs and tents were delivered by Kazakhstan’s National Guard via plane. The cargo is expected to reach people who are suffering from the disaster today. The remaining humanitarian aid will be delivered by railways.

What did the National Guard say? According to the agency’s press service, flight No. Y8F200W is departing today from Shymkent heading to Herat today. The plane’s crew is eight people under the command of Major Kurmangali Topanov.

«We are conducting a peacekeeping mission by delivering humanitarian aid to those who have suffered from the earthquake. We are delivering medicinal goods and drugs from Astana and Shymkent as well as tents from Almaty. We already have had experience of such missions abroad, » Topanov said.

As he recalled, in February 2023, the aviation of the National Guard was engaged in delivering humanitarian aid to Syria and Turkey. At the time, the agency’s pilots conducted six flights.

The context. On Saturday, October 7, a set of powerful earthquakes hit the Afghani province of Herat, causing mass casualties among local residents. It’s been one of the deadliest earthquakes in the country within the past 20 years.

According to the local National Disaster Management Authority, more than 2,400 people have died due to the earthquakes.

Afghanistan appealed to the international community for assistance to those who have suffered from the earthquake in the province of Herat and help in consequence management.

Where was the epicenter of the earthquake? According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was 40 kilometers from the city of Herat. Kazakhstan didn’t report any quakes that day.