Padshah Gun, whose house was damaged in the earthquake.Kiana Hayeri for The New York Times

Broadcasting News Corporation :Afghan officials said that rescue efforts were winding down after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake, which struck early Wednesday morning and was believed to have killed more than 1,000 people.
As hope for finding survivors dimmed, Taliban officials called for assistance from aid agencies. The government said that some supplies had already arrived from Iran, Qatar and Pakistan. The U.S., the U.N. and the W.H.O. also took steps to help. South Korea promised $1 million in humanitarian assistance.
The difficult terrain, the weather and the deep poverty in hard-hit areas of Paktika Province, in the remote southeast, pose a particular challenge. The area is also far from many clinics or hospitals that could help the wounded. Here are recent updates and photographs.
Background: Before the Taliban took power, foreign aid funded 75 percent of the Afghan government’s budget. The Taliban has struggled to attract foreign funds: Western donors have balked at edicts barring girls from attending secondary schools and restricting women’s rights.
Victims: Hawa, a 30-year-old mother, survived with her 1-year-old daughter. Four of her other children died, as did 17 other relatives. “I lost everything, my whole world, my whole family, I don’t have any hope for the future,” Hawa told The Times. News collected from The New York Times.