An earthquake occurred in northern Afghanistan on 30 May 1998, at 06:22 UTC in the Takhar Province with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). At the time, the Afghan Civil War was underway; the affected area was controlled by the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan (the "Northern Alliance").
Overview
This earthquake was the second large earthquake in the area in 1998 after another earthquake on February 4. Between 4,000–4,500 people died in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. Nearly 7,000 families were affected and estimated 16,000 houses were destroyed or damaged. Approximately 45,000 people became homeless. More than 30 villages were destroyed and another 70 were severely damaged. Several thousand animals were killed and crops and infrastructure were destroyed.
Relief efforts
Several
problems appeared during the relief operation. The affected region was
remote and lacked any modern telecommunication. The local
culture[dubious – discuss] prohibited male physicians from examining or
speaking to women. There was no available accurate map of the
affected region. However this problem was solved as the pilots of the
first Tajikistan helicopters served with the Soviet Armed Forces in the
area during the Soviet–Afghan War and knew many of the villages. Relief
efforts were also delayed because of blocked roads, bad weather and
political turmoil in the region.
Relief effort by several
agencies in Afghanistan was administered from neighboring Pakistan, as
many organizations had learned from previous experience not to base too
many assets in Kabul or in any other city in Afghanistan. A sub-base for
the relief efforts was established in Rostaq in the Takhar Province
near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, which in spite of lacking
airfields, had open spaces for helicopter operations and a road link to
Tajikistan. A worldwide appeal for helicopters was made to assist in the
relief operations.
The United Nations (UN) and several
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were involved in the relief
efforts of the affected area. A joint relief operation was mounted by
the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
and a number of national and international NGOs.
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