China News Agency, United Nations, June 22. United Nations Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement on the 22nd saying that he was saddened by the heavy casualties caused by the earthquake in Afghanistan and called on the international community to provide assistance to the Afghan victims.

  Guterres said in a statement that thousands of people were reportedly killed in the earthquake that occurred near the eastern city of Khost in Afghanistan that day.

Over time, the number of casualties is likely to continue to rise.

"I express my sympathy to the Afghan people who have suffered from years of war, economic hardship and starvation, my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and a speedy recovery to the injured."

  Guterres said that the United Nations agencies in Afghanistan have been fully operational, and relevant teams are assessing and providing initial support for the humanitarian needs caused by the earthquake.

"We look to the international community to provide assistance to affected families. Now is the time for solidarity."

  On the same day, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the current needs of the disaster-hit areas in Afghanistan include emergency trauma care, emergency shelter and non-food items, food assistance and support for water and sanitation facilities, and its teams have been deployed to two provinces near the earthquake site. .

UNICEF said it had dispatched mobile medical and nutrition teams to provide first aid to the wounded in the area.

The UN World Food Programme said it was collecting casualty data and was ready to provide emergency support to earthquake-stricken areas.

  According to the determination of the China Seismological Network, at 1:24 local time on the 22nd, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred in eastern Afghanistan with a focal depth of 30 kilometers.

At least 1,000 people have been killed and 1,500 injured by the earthquake and the landslides it triggered, local officials in Afghanistan said.

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