Feature: China's relief supplies help Afghan quake-victims

SHARAN, Afghanistan, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Khan Mohammad, a villager from Afghanistan's Paktika province, received Chinese assistance, including a tent, after sleeping in the open for several days as a result of the destructive earthquake that struck Afghanistan on June 22.

"China's tents reached us just at the right time. My family of seven are all together in the same tent," Mohammad told Xinhua recently, describing China as a good neighbor of Afghanistan.

The destructive earthquake rendered hundreds of families homeless in the province, forcing them to live under trees in hot weather, intolerable in summer when the scorching sun beats down all day and mosquitoes bite all night.

Abdul Rauf, 40, also affected by the quake, said that the Chinese tents had largely alleviated the homelessness problem.

"The tremor had destroyed all my property. I had to live in open for several days. China's donations relieved my problem," Rauf said.

Mawlawi Mansoor, the head of Natural Disaster Management Authority of Paktika province, said that 920 Chinese tents and various clothes had been distributed to the quake victims in Barmal and neighboring Gayan districts.

At least 1,000 people had been confirmed dead and nearly 2,000 others sustained injuries in the 5.9-magnitude tremor.

China has pledged assistance worth 7.5 million U.S. dollars to assist the quake-affected regions.

"We thank China for announcing the abundant aid to the people of Afghanistan," Afghan caretaker government's chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Xinhua.

Several countries along with international agencies including UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have also assisted the affected regions.