Already present in the field, Handicap International’s teams are ready to launch an emergency response after a violent 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan and Pakistan today, October 26. According to initial estimates, dozens of people have been killed and hundreds have been injured at the epicenter in Badakhshan, a mountainous area of the Hindu Kush, 106 miles from Kabul.
This isolated region, which has been hit by deadly earthquakes in the past, is difficult to access, and reports of casualties and material damage are changing by the hour. An estimated 931,807 people live within a 60-mile radius of the disaster.
Handicap International has been present in Afghanistan since 1987, and in Pakistan since 1985. The organization has extensive experience in aiding earthquake victims including emergency responses following the 2015 Nepal, 2010 Haiti, and 2008 Pakistan earthquakes. The impact of this earthquake is currently being assessed so that our teams on the ground can launch an appropriate response.
Handicap International’s staff are reported to be safe.