UN Secretary-General Calls on International Community to Show Solidarity with Afghanistan Following Devastating Quake

New York, June 23 (QNA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community on Wednesday to show solidarity with Afghanistan and support the affected Afghan families in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck two provinces in the east of the country.
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and injured, and this tragic toll might continue to rise, Guterres said in a statement.
"The United Nations in Afghanistan is fully mobilized. Our teams are already on the ground assessing the needs and providing initial support," he underlined.
"We count on the international community to help support the hundreds of families hit by this latest disaster. Now is the time for solidarity," the UN Secretary-General added.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck eastern Afghanistan, 45 km southwest of the Afghan province of Khost, killing at least 1,500 people and injuring about 2,000 others.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the quake was felt in neighboring provinces including Afghan capital, Kabul, as well as in Pakistan's capital Islamabad and India.
Speaking via videoconference to journalists, Deputy Special Representative, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said that he could not predict the number of casualties as there are different estimates.
Alakbarov explained that preliminary estimates indicate that $15 million is required immediately to respond to multi-sectoral needs. (QNA)