Briefing: About 20 million people in affected area; 2025 humanitarian plan 5% funded

A staff member said initial reports indicate widespread structural damage and an estimated 20,000,000 people live in the area affected by the outbreak, with hospitals and bridges among the structures that have collapsed.

"The initial reports are basically indicating a huge number of people affected and significant structural damage across, multiple regions. So we have report of building and bridges which have collapsed, including hospitals. The estimation is that, approximately, 20,000,000 people, live in that area affected by the by the outbreak. Based on the humanitarian needs response plan for this year, we have estimated that 19,900,000 people that are actually, in needs of our humanitarian assistance. And this is just before the earthquake," the staff member said.

The staff member said the estimates come from the 2025 Humanitarian Needs Response Plan and that funding for that plan remains far below requested levels: "So with the earthquake, the situation would be further aggravated. At the moment, against the 2025 humanitarian needs response plan, only 5% of funds have been received."

The briefing did not include details on the geographic boundaries of the affected area, the donors counted toward the 5% figure, or a breakdown of how the estimated 19.9 million people were identified. Those quantitative details were described in the briefing as estimates and not final counts.

No formal actions, votes or policy decisions were recorded in the briefing. The staff member characterized the figures as initial assessments; further updates and more detailed needs and funding breakdowns were not provided during the remarks.