Earthquake-hit regions of Afghanistan say aid slow to arrive

Colorful blankets brighten up an otherwise bleak outlook: Sunday's earthquake was one of the most severe in Afghanistan's history, reaching a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale. According to Afghan authorities and the UN, around 1,400 people lost their lives in the northeastern Kunar province. Many are still trapped under the rubble.

Kunar province lies in a mountainous region. Following the deadly earthquake, a number of roads were blocked due landslides and rockfall. Rescue teams are still unable to reach some of the villages affected, an Afghan official told the AFP news agency on Wednesday. Until the roads can be cleared, they will remain widely cut off from aid and emergency services.

In order to reach villages cut off by landslides and rockfall, aid teams sometimes have to walk for miles carrying medical equipment and food supplies. Hundreds of helicopters have also being deployed. These girls near Mazar Dara were able to receive help. One of them had sustained a head injury, but is well on her way to recovery.

Rescue efforts are proving difficult. In some cases, rescuers have to dig with their bare hands. Heavy equipment is hard to come by. China and Britain have pledged emergency assistance to Afghanistan. The World Health Organization (WHO) is sending medicines and medical personnel. German aid organizations, including Diakonie and Caritas International, are providing funds for emergency relief.

In Sepero village, men are digging a row of graves for the many people who died in the recent earthquake. Islamic burial rites require that the deceased are buried as quickly as possible. The Afghan authorities expect the death toll to rise further, as recovery work has been difficult in inaccessible areas.

A girl stands in front of her home in the village of Mazar Dara in Kunar province. Afghanistan's Taliban government has imposed restrictive policies, especially on women and girls. As a result, many donor countries had scaled back aid and relations to the country. The Taliban's policies include a ban on women to work in NGOs, making it difficult for females to access privacy-sensitive support.

According to Afghanistan's government, military helicopters have been on the move over the past two days, bringing some 2,000 injured people and their relatives to hospitals. They've also been transporting medical and food supplies. A small mobile clinic was set up in the village of Mazar Dara in Kunar. International aid has also begun to arrive.