In response to last week's powerful earthquake that caused massive casualties in Afghanistan, China has provided emergency humanitarian aid, with the first batch of critical supplies already reaching the affected region on Sunday.
The aid, which includes critical items such as blankets and tents, was dispatched from Zhengzhou International Airport in central China's Henan Province. The shipment arrived in Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan following an early morning departure.
The aid forms part of a comprehensive relief package valued at approximately seven million U.S. dollars.
Ge Dongtao, deputy general manager of Zhengzhou Hangbang International Logistics Co., Ltd, provided some details on the contents.
"These are blankets, and these are tent poles, used for setting up the tents," he said.
In an unusual departure from standard procedures, all packing operations were conducted directly on the tarmac to expedite the shipping process. Logistics teams worked through the night to load supplies onto aircraft using forklifts and flatbed carts.
Ge described the urgency of the operation, "We're racing against time with a tight schedule and heavy workload. To ensure our supplies can be smoothly and quickly warehoused, we're handling operations directly at the dock. This batch of supplies was originally scheduled to be transported there between Sept 7 to 10, but after receiving notification that another earthquake had occurred, all departments have been working overtime to accelerate the process."
According to relevant officials, a second batch of aid is expected to depart from Shanghai on September 10, with further support to be determined based on conditions in the affected area.
A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan on August 31, with the epicenter located 27 kilometers northeast of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province. The Afghan Red Crescent Society confirmed on Thursday that the earthquake had caused 2,205 fatalities and 3,640 injuries.
China accelerates earthquake relief efforts for Afghanistan
