UN Women has announced that shelter, food, safe drinking water, clothing, healthcare services, and psychosocial support are among the urgent needs of women and girls in Nurgal district of Kunar province, which was hit hardest by the recent earthquake.

On Wednesday, September 4, the agency reported on its official X page that a UN team reached Nurgal after hours of walking on foot. According to reports, the village of Darah Mazar has been completely destroyed.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night. Local sources report that hospitals are facing a severe shortage of female doctors to treat the injured. In both Nangarhar and Kunar, due to the high number of casualties, health facilities are in urgent need of female medical staff.

Residents have urged the Taliban to allow female doctors to travel to the earthquake-affected areas. According to Taliban local officials, most of the dead and injured are women and children.

A few days earlier, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, also emphasized the critical role of women in the relief and recovery process following the deadly earthquakes in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.