The International Organization for Migration warned Wednesday that thousands of families affected by the recent earthquake in eastern Afghanistan could face the coming winter without shelter.
In a report, the agency said 12 quake-hit districts in Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman provinces are home to about 2.74 million people. It said the districts of Nurgal and Chawkay in Kunar, Dara-i-Noor in Nangarhar and parts of Laghman were the worst affected, with access to those areas still difficult.
The IOM said many of the displaced in the affected regions including returnee migrants and internally displaced people were already living in highly vulnerable conditions before the quake struck.
The agency added that this disaster has exacerbated Afghanistan’s crises, and with the return of more than 1.7 million people from Iran and Pakistan and widespread economic problems, the situation is becoming even harder.
The organisation stressed that with winter approaching, thousands of families remain without safe shelter, raising the risk of further humanitarian consequences.
