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Haiti quake survivors cry for help as death toll nears 2,000
Survivors of the earthquake that killed at least 1,941 people in Haiti clamored for food, shelter and medical care on Tuesday as search and rescue efforts resumed after a tropical storm lashed the Caribbean nation with rain, causing dangerous flooding.
Quake damage to several major hospitals hampered humanitarian efforts, and doctors in makeshift tents outside battled to save the lives of the many injured, including young children and the elderly. But they could not help them all, Reuters reported.
“There weren’t enough doctors and now she’s dead,” said Lanette Nuel, sitting listlessly next to her daughter’s body outside the main hospital of Les Cayes, one of the towns worst hit by both the tremor and the storm’s heavy rains and winds.
The 26-year-old deceased woman, herself a mother of two, had been crushed by debris during the magnitude 7.2 quake. Now she lay under a white sheet on the floor.
“We came in yesterday afternoon, she died this morning. I can’t do anything,” her mother said.
Saturday’s quake knocked down tens of thousands of buildings in the poorest country in the Americas, which is still recovering from a temblor 11 years ago that killed over 200,000 people. Aside from the dead, the latest quake also injured at least 9,915, with many people still missing or under the rubble, the civil protection service said on Tuesday afternoon, Reuters reported.
Relief efforts were already complicated due to political turmoil and difficult road access from the capital to the south due to gang control of key points. Flash flooding and landslides in the wake of Tropical Storm Grace, which by Tuesday afternoon had continued on past Jamaica, exacerbated the situation.
“Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding,” said Bruno Maes, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in the country.
“Right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, healthcare and nutrition.”
The United Nations said it had allocated $8 million in emergency funds to provide relief for affected people, Reuters reported.
Latin America countries including Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and the neighboring Dominican Republic sent food, medicine and supplies. The United States also dispatched supplies and search and rescue teams.
Although criminal gangs have been blocking access roads for months, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs said “successful negotiations” had made it possible for a convoy to reach Les Cayes.
The hospital in Les Cayes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, was even more overwhelmed on Tuesday than before as patients who had been camping outside moved indoors to escape the tropical storm.
Director Peterson Gede said medics were doing the best they could. “We couldn’t handle all the patients,” he said. “And we have been receiving supplies, but it’s not enough.”
At a tent city in Les Cayes containing many children and babies, over a hundred people scrambled to repair makeshift coverings made of wooden poles and tarps that were destroyed by Grace overnight. Some took cover under plastic sheets.
Mathieu Jameson, deputy head of the committee formed by the tent city residents, said hundreds of people there were in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.
“We don’t have a doctor. We don’t have food. Every morning more people are arriving. We have no bathroom, no place to sleep. We need food, we need more umbrellas,” said Jameson, adding the tent city was still waiting for government aid.
Haiti’s latest natural disaster comes just over a month after the country was plunged into political turmoil by the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday it was too early to gauge the impact of the quake on Haiti’s political process and that the United States, the country’s main donor, had no current plans to deploy its military there.
Rescue workers have been digging alongside residents through the rubble in a bid to reach survivors.
On Tuesday morning 16 people were recovered alive alongside nine dead, Haitian civil protection authorities said.
But hopes were fading, and a smell of dust and decomposing bodies permeated the air, Reuters reported.
“We came from all over to help: from the north, from Port-au Prince, from everywhere,” said Maria Fleurant, a firefighter from northern Haiti.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was sworn in less then a month ago after Moise’s assassination, vowed to disburse humanitarian aid better than in the wake of the 2010 quake.
Though billions of dollars in aid poured into Haiti after that quake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, many Haitians say they saw scant benefits from the uncoordinated efforts: government bodies remained weak, amid persistent shortages of food and basic goods.
“The earthquake is a great misfortune that happens to us in the middle of the hurricane season,” Henry told reporters. He said the government would not repeat “the same things” done in 2010.
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Tajikistan shifts stance on Afghanistan amid rising border tensions
Earlier this month, Tajik lawmakers approved a $57 million deal for China to finance and build nine new border posts, underscoring Beijing’s expanding role in regional security.
A surge in violence along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border is prompting Tajikistan to recalibrate its policy toward Afghanistan, combining tighter security measures with cautious diplomatic engagement.
Earlier this month, Tajik lawmakers approved a $57 million deal for China to finance and build nine new border posts, underscoring Beijing’s expanding role in regional security.
The move follows a series of deadly incidents, including attacks that killed five Chinese nationals and clashes with smugglers that left several Afghan civilians and Tajik guards dead.
The violence reflects growing instability along the rugged frontier, much of it tracing the Panj River, with armed incidents rising sharply and drug seizures increasing significantly, according to Tajik authorities.
Alongside bolstering border infrastructure, Dushanbe is stepping up engagement with the Islamic Emirate. Recent months have seen unprecedented high-level contacts, including calls and meetings between Amir Khan Muttaqi and Sirojiddin Muhriddin, as well as talks with Tajik envoy Sadi Sharifi.
Once a staunch critic of the Islamic Emirate, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon’s government is gradually adopting a more pragmatic approach. Since the reopening of border markets in 2023, trade and security contacts have quietly expanded, with officials now openly acknowledging cooperation on energy and border security.
Analysts say the shift reflects a mix of rising security threats, regional pressure from partners like China and Russia, and the reality that the Islamic Emirate remain firmly in control in Kabul. While China funds infrastructure and Russia continues to support military training, experts describe the arrangement as a “division of labor” rather than a shift in regional influence.
Despite lingering concerns, observers note a clear warming in ties between Dushanbe and Kabul, driven as much by necessity as by strategy.
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Torkham crossing reopens for returning Afghan migrants
According to reports, the reopening has allowed the flow of Afghan returnees from Pakistan to resume, with many families entering Afghanistan through the crossing.
The Torkham border crossing was reopened on Thursday at 2 p.m. for Afghan migrants returning to the country after nearly a month of closure.
According to reports, the reopening has allowed the flow of Afghan returnees from Pakistan to resume, with many families entering Afghanistan through the crossing.
Torkham is considered one of the most important crossing gateways between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Its closure had created significant challenges for migrants and disrupted crossing movement.
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Two killed, hundreds affected in severe floods in Kandahar
Tragically, two people, including a five-year-old child, lost their lives in Daman district as a result of the floodwaters.
Heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in Kandahar have caused significant destruction, leaving dozens of families affected, according to the province’s Department for Disaster Response and Preparedness.
Officials reported that approximately 85 homes in Kandahar city were either completely or partially destroyed due to the severe weather. Additionally, around 90 families living in temporary shelters were also impacted by the floods.
Tragically, two people, including a five-year-old child, lost their lives in Daman district as a result of the floodwaters.
Authorities confirmed that joint response teams have been dispatched to the affected areas to assess the damage and provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the displaced and affected families.
The local administration emphasized the need for coordinated relief efforts to help the flood-affected population recover from the disaster.
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