-News for Thurs. 28 March and 29 March 2002
Freezing Rains Complicate Aid Efforts in
Afghanistan
VOA
News 29
Mar 2002 23:19 UTC

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| AP |
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| An Afghan child arrives with his mother at a German field
hospital |
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International
peacekeepers in Afghanistan have set up a mobile hospital in the country's
earthquake-stricken northern region.
A 36-truck
convoy of peacekeepers reached the devastated town of Nahrin in Baghlan
province north of the capital, Kabul, on Friday, bringing medical supplies.
Several doctors and medics were finally able to begin treating wounded
survivors.
Russian news reports
say two Russian mobile hospitals also began taking patients on Friday. The
hospitals took four days to set up because of difficulties in reaching the
region.
Meanwhile, an
estimated 20,000 people are still stranded in the open on freezing hillsides
outside Nahrin, afraid of returning to the town that has been rattled by many
aftershocks since Monday's major tremor, which measured six on the Richter
scale.
Freezing rain,
which is forecast for several days, is complicating efforts to get more help
and supplies to the survivors. Dirt roads have turned treacherous and many
helicopters have been stranded.
The final death
toll from Monday's earthquake remains unclear, but U.N. officials say up to 800
people may have died and more bodies could be found. Afghan officials have said
that as many as 2,000 people may have died in the quake and its
aftershocks.
Some information
for this report provided by Reuters and AP.
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