Dubai Humanitarian airlift delivers vital aid to Afghanistan

Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian has dispatched an emergency airlift to Afghanistan in response to the devastating earthquake that struck the country earlier last week.

Organised in collaboration with members of the humanitarian community in Dubai Humanitarian, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (WFP/UNHRD), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the aircraft departed Dubai this morning on a B747 freighter, bound for Kabul.

The consignment includes around 84 metric tonnes of critical relief supplies such as medical items, shelter materials, and other emergency aid, valued at over $929,500 (Dhs3.4 million). The shipment is expected to support nearly 730,000 individuals affected by the natural disaster.

Giuseppe Saba, CEO and Board Member of Dubai Humanitarian, said: “Dubai Humanitarian enables organisations to act swiftly and effectively when disasters strike. Following the earthquake, we promptly coordinated with our members, including international humanitarian organisations and agencies, to assess field needs and prioritise the preparation of essential relief items.

This airlift reflects our collective commitment to stand with the people of Afghanistan in their time of need. Guided by the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, we continue to strengthen Dubai’s role as a global hub for preparedness and response, ensuring that international relief partners can act together in the face of natural and humanitarian crises. This mission is a testament to the UAE’s enduring commitment to its humanitarian role worldwide.”

Meanwhile, the first batch of emergency earthquake relief supplies provided by the Chinese government to Afghanistan arrived in Kabul.

According to China Central Television (CCTV), the shipment included tents, blankets and other urgently needed items for quake-hit areas.

Bao Xuhui, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan, said, “The Chinese government immediately decided to provide emergency humanitarian supplies worth 50 million yuan (about US$7 million) to Afghanistan, mainly consisting of 350 tents and 3,000 blankets. It is hoped that these supplies will help the disaster-stricken people overcome their difficulties as soon as possible.”

More batches of relief supplies from China will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming days.

A devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last Sunday, causing severe damage.

The death toll from the powerful earthquake had climbed to 2,205, with 3,640 others injured, the Afghan Red Crescent Society reported on Thursday.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Afghan earthquake survivors have refused to return to villages, fearing landslides.

“We have no shelter, not even a tent,” said 67-year-old farmer Adam Khan, leaning on a stick outside his ruined home in the village of Masud in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, devastated last week by earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks.

“It rained last night, we had no place to take cover,” he added. “Our biggest fear is the big rocks that could come down at any moment.”

Two earthquakes on Sept.1 killed more than 2,200 people and injured over 3,600 across the region, flattening thousands of homes, while aftershocks brought fresh landslides, leaving families trapped between unstable mountains and swollen rivers.

Aid groups sped in food and supplies by helicopter, but survivors say help is patchy and slow.

Afghanistan’s poverty and inadequate infrastructure maroon many villages hours from the nearest road, while most homes, build of mud and stone, crumbled instantly in the tremors.

WAM / Reuters