Afghanistan-Pakistan Quake: Cold Puts Homeless At Risk

Aid workers in South Asia are warning of dire consequences for Afghans and Pakistanis made homeless by Monday’s earthquake.

According to them, there is an urgent need for tents and blankets for those forced to spend a second night outdoors. If left unattended to, aid workers say those rendered homeless by the quake could die from the cold.

Children are especially at risk of succumbing to the extreme cold.

Reports from Pakistan say thousands spent their night in near-freezing temperatures, reluctant to go back inside for fear of aftershocks.

At least 360 people are known to have died in both countries, but officials are warning that the number will rise, particularly in Afghanistan.

According to the BBC, rescue teams had been sent to remote mountainous areas where the effects of the earthquake were still unclear.

The Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, in a televised address, urged those living in affected areas to help the rescue efforts.