Afghanistan: MSF responds to the Kunar earthquake

“It was between ten to 12 o’clock when my uncle’s wife went to bed. I told her not to lock the door of the house, my senses saying an earthquake might happen. I was sitting on my bed later when there was a boom. I jumped up to grab my two small children and then … Read more

Philippines: MSF works with rural communities to deliver aid after the Cebu earthquake

On 30 September, a powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck central Philippines, claiming at least 76 lives and injuring hundreds more. Cebu province was hardest hit, with Bogo City—closest to the epicentre—bearing the brunt of the devastation. A Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres team arrived in Bogo on October 1 and immediately began assessments. … Read more

Afghanistan earthquakes: “What do we go back to?”

Since Saturday 7 October, Herat Province in western Afghanistan has been hit by three powerful earthquakes as well as innumerable aftershocks of varying strengths. At the Herat Regional Hospital, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs regular activities in the paediatric department, we donated mass casualty kits and erected a total of 10 tents in the hospital compound to … Read more

Afghanistan: MSF is responding to Herat earthquake

Western Afghanistan has experienced three 6.3-magnitude earthquakes and many aftershocks in less than two weeks in October. Together, the quakes and aftershocks have killed more than 2,000 people. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting Herat Regional Hospital, which has received hundreds of injured patients since the first quake.  How MSF supports Herat Regional … Read more

Morocco earthquake: MSF teams mobilise to evaluate needs and support

The powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday night at 11 pm local time. MSF is currently not present in Morocco, but we are establishing contacts with local authorities to immediately send our teams to Morocco to assess local needs and if our support is needed. As with all earthquakes, the search for people buried under … Read more

Water and sanitation in northwest Syria: the invisible health threats to displaced people

Jindires, a once-magnificent city located in northwest Syria, near the Turkish border, has been reduced to rubble, bearing the scars of both a relentless war and a recent earthquake. In northwest Syria, nine out of 10 people who were newly displaced by the earthquakes into camps, had been displaced by the war at least once … Read more

MSF starts handing over its Emergency Interventions in Türkiye

As of 31 May, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) will hand over its intervention activities in Türkiye, as the emergency response ends, following the devastating earthquakes that killed 51,000 people in the country’s southeast.  After the first quake struck on February 6, MSF supported Turkish civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in responding to … Read more

Hygiene, Water and a Breath of Fresh Air: MSF’s Support to the Türkiye’s Earthquakes’ Response

Devastating 7,8 and 7,5 Richter magnitude earthquakes, that struck southeast Türkiye on 6 February, have left deep scars in people’s minds and sow fear among the affected population. Over 51,000 people died, 210,000 buildings collapsed and 890,000 suffered heavy or moderate damages due to the earthquakes and their aftershocks.  “The first days were dark ones. … Read more

MSF’s response to earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

On February 6, 2023, magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southeast Türkiye and northwest of Syria, between 4:17 and 4:30 a.m. local time. The initial earthquake, which was centred near Gaziantep in south central Türkiye was the deadliest earthquake to hit the region in twenty years. Since then, over 22 thousand aftershocks have happened and … Read more

MSF aid convoy in relief of earthquake victims enters northwest Syria

The international organisation calls for the urgent scaling up of humanitarian supplies, which currently fail to even match pre-earthquake volumes. A Médecins Sans Frontières convoy of 14 trucks entered northwestern Syria today, arriving from Türkiye through the Hammam border crossing point. This first convoy carries 1,296 tents destined to families (of 5 people or more) … Read more