A major operation was under way last night to get aid to the shattered town of Nahrin following Monday's devastating earthquake.

The United Nations said truckloads of tents, mattresses and blankets were now arriving, plus food and clothing. But little aid has so far reached the remote villages outside Nahrin - nor the devastated town of Burkah, 12 miles to the north. The road to Burkah was still blocked by fallen rubble and rescuers were unable to reach the many wounded.

Doctors from the French aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières arrived in Nahrin yesterday and were soon treating dozens of survivors in makeshift clinics. Many had broken bones after their mud homes collapsed on top of them.

The Halo Trust de-mining agency said it had sent diggers and bulldozers to help reopen roads into Nahrin. The outskirts of the town are also extensively mined.

As 700 volunteers shovelled mounds of dirt, mud and debris, survivors rescued what few possessions they could from their destroyed homes. Officials said that at least 7,000 families were homeless.

The UN set up an office at the scene to coordinate the relief efforts. "It has gone very well," Rebecca Richards, a spokeswoman, said. "Plenty of aid is getting in."

A reconnaissance team from the British-led international security assistance force (Isaf) surveyed the damage yesterday. "We discovered that the old part of town is completely destroyed. The new part is partly destroyed," a spokesman in Kabul said. Isaf is expected to fly more aid into the region and supply logistical help.