Iranian border authorities say they have saved the lives of 700 Afghan nationals who were attempting to enter the country irregularly and had become severely affected by cold weather.

According to Iranian media reports, Majid Shoja, commander of the border forces in Razavi Khorasan province, said that heavy rainfall and harsh weather conditions along the Taybad frontier had exposed the group to hypothermia and a serious risk of death. He added that Iranian border units deployed medical teams and used all available resources to treat the affected individuals.

Shoja urged Afghan citizens to use official and legal border crossings if they need to travel to Iran, warning that unauthorized entry will be met with legal consequences.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has reported that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred tonight in northeastern Afghanistan.

The earthquake struck at 5:39 PM local time in Afghanistan, with a reported depth of 90.7 kilometers.

So far, there have been no reports of casualties or damage resulting from the incident.

John Aylieff, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in Afghanistan, says the hunger crisis has gripped the country in a catastrophic manner, and that the organization does not have the capacity to assist all those in need due to budget shortfalls.

This United Nations official, in an interview with the Associated Press, referring to the reduction in humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan, said that malnutrition in the country—especially among women and children—has reached its highest level. He stressed that the current figures represent the highest recorded level of malnutrition in Afghanistan, now putting the lives of four million children at risk.

He added: “The cuts in aid have been devastating. Of the four million hungry and malnourished children, we are now forced to turn away three out of every four because we do not have enough funding. We are still facing a catastrophic food crisis, as two-thirds of the country’s population are experiencing very severe acute malnutrition or are at crisis levels.”

Meanwhile, some experts in the country consider the causes of Afghanistan’s widespread hunger crisis to be multiple, adding that the reduction in aid is one of the main factors behind the worsening crisis.

It is worth noting that, in addition to the decline in international assistance to the people of Afghanistan, climate change—including consecutive droughts—lack of employment opportunities, and the large-scale return of migrants are considered major factors contributing to the humanitarian crisis in the country.