The United Nations has said that residents of northern Afghanistan were already suffering from chronic poverty, drought, and a lack of basic services even before the recent earthquake.

UN Women in Afghanistan has announced that following Monday night’s earthquake in the north of the country, its teams, along with local partners, have been deployed to affected areas to assess the situation and assist women and girls in need.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Afghanistan has said that the organisation’s emergency teams are present in the northern provinces to assist children and families affected by the recent earthquake.

At least 20 people have been killed and more than 360 others injured after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck Khulm district in Balkh province on last night (November 3).