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A Turkish Air Force A400M cargo plane took off Wednesday carrying humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Afghanistan, Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said.
The aircraft departed from Kayseri’s Erkilet Air Base with supplies prepared by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Turkish Red Crescent.
“Due to the earthquake disaster in Kunar province, Afghanistan, an A400M aircraft of our Air Force took off … to deliver humanitarian aid materials prepared by AFAD and the Turkish Red Crescent to Afghanistan. We deeply share the sorrow of Afghanistan, which has been affected by the earthquake disaster, and convey our get-well wishes to its people,” the ministry said on X.
Rescue and relief operations entered their third day after the quake devastated eastern Afghanistan, leaving thousands homeless and entire villages destroyed.
Kunar province was hit hardest, with 1,411 confirmed deaths, 3,124 injured, and more than 5,400 homes destroyed, according to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Authorities warned the toll could rise as reports come in from Nangarhar, Laghman, and Panjshir provinces.
Officials said the mountainous terrain and damaged roads hampered aid delivery, though helicopters have been used to airlift supplies and evacuate the injured.
“We are sending relief goods by vehicles where possible, but in areas cut off by the earthquake, helicopters are being used to transport supplies and evacuate the injured to hospitals,” an official said.
Local residents reported continuing aftershocks, including a 5.2 magnitude tremor Tuesday that struck northeastern Afghanistan and was felt in neighboring Pakistan.
The United Nations warned that the disaster struck amid overlapping crises in Afghanistan.
“Looking at the stats, looking at the remoteness and the topography, which is extremely challenging and remote, potentially the impacted individuals could go up to almost into the hundreds of thousands,” U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte said.
Several nations, including Pakistan, Iran, China, India, and Western countries, pledged aid.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the initial 6.7 magnitude quake late Sunday night, about 27 kilometers (16 miles) east-northeast of Jalalabad, at a depth of 8 kilometers, when most residents were asleep.
It was the third major earthquake to hit Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
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