UN stepping up aid in Afghanistan as quake survivors face water crisis

A United Nations representative has stressed that the UN is rushing aid to quake-hit areas of Afghanistan, saying survivors are struggling to access safe drinking water. Stephen Rodriques, the resident representative for the UN Development Programme in Afghanistan, held an online news conference on Friday.

The magnitude 6 earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday has killed 2,205 people and injured 3,640 in the hardest-hit province of Kunar. Rodriques revealed the results of a survey showing some 84,000 people were affected by the disaster. He said, "More than 20,000 people have already received food assistance, and water trucking and sanitation facilities are being set up to prevent the outbreak of disease."