JAKARTA: Indonesian NGO Medical Emergency Rescue Committee has sent a medical team to Afghanistan’s Kunar province to assist Afghans who were injured by the deadly earthquake that devastated the region late last month.
On Aug. 31, a 6.0 magnitude quake struck late at night in the mountainous region, killing nearly 2,000 people, flattening villages and leaving people trapped under rubble for hours.
The powerful tremors, which were followed by a few more strong quakes in the days that followed, hit the densely populated rural areas of Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman provinces, injuring more than 3,600 people and leaving thousands of others homeless.
The MER-C team consists of female doctors Tonggo Meaty Fransisca and Citra Haflinda Prihatiningrum, and nurse Wirsal Adiansyah Harahap. They are accompanied by journalist Andhika Pamungkas. The team departed Jakarta earlier this week and will be in Afghanistan until Oct. 9.
“MER-C’s team will carry out a mission in Kunar, eastern Afghanistan. This mission is to provide medical services and food assistance to earthquake-affected communities in Kunar,” Fransisca said in a video statement.
