For immediate release: 26 October
Concern Worldwide responding after powerful earthquake hits
Afghanistan, Pakistan and India
International humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide is assessing the situation in
Pakistan and Afghanistan after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern
Afghanistan.
The earthquake struck at 13:39 local time in Afghanistan and reports of shelters having
collapsed have come from various districts and villages in the north east of the country
including Badakshan, Takhar and Farkhar district. Existing Concern Worldwide teams
already working in the areas
have mobilised and have begun to assess the situation.
Janardhan Rao, Country Director for Concern Worldwide in Afghanistan said: “Our teams
are already out assessing the damage that has been caused in Taloqan (capital of Takhar
Province) and Faisabad (capital of Badakshan Province). The worst of the earthquake
appears to have hit in remote areas. We need to move quickly to help the most vulnerable
and ensure they have the shelter and lifesaving assistance they need.”
Dominc MacSorley,Concern Worldwide’s CEO, added: “Massive structural damage has
occurred, much of it in remote, hard to reach locations. We have been operating in the
region for almost 20 years and as winter approaches we must move fast to protect families
devastated by this disaster.”
Concern has been working in Afghanistan since 1998 and Pakistan since 2001. In
Afghanistan the organisation focuses on ensuring people are able to earn a living and feed
themselves and their families, empowering women and improving access to clean water. In
Pakistan work focuses on enhancing livelihoods and improving access to water and
sanitation.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
About Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to reducing
extreme poverty and has nearly 3,000 personnel working in 27 countries around the world in
Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Concern Worldwide targets the root causes
of extreme poverty through programs in health, education, livelihoods and microfinance, HIV
and AIDS, and emergency response, directly reaching nearly 7.4 million people in 2014.
www.concern.net