Afghan survivors struggle in the wake of deadly earthquake

Whole villages in southeast Afghanistan’s mountains have been reduced to stone and mud piles.

Residents of Kunar province are mourning their families and trying to figure out how they can possibly live after losing everything, almost a week after the devastating earthquake that hit the province.

More than 2, 200 people died last weekend when a magnitude 6.0 tremor struck the remote mountainous area.

According to Ali Hashem of Al Jazeera’s Kunar province, the epicenter of the earthquake, “the victims have two choices: to leave or to die.”

At least 10 people were hurt in strong aftershocks that followed the earthquake, which sparked fears of more devastation and destruction.

In the earthquake, Gul Rahim’s family lost 63 people, including his 5-year-old daughter Fatima.

When the earthquake struck at midnight, we were asleep at home. He told Al Jazeera while seated on the ruins of his home and carrying several bags of whatever items he could recover, “All the houses collapsed and everyone was screaming”.

My youngest daughter was crying, “Frother, get me out of here,” but I managed to escape. He said, his voice trembling with grief, “She had passed away by the time we reached her.”

She was my most devoted and youngest daughter.

Rahim claimed that the earthquake also claimed 100 or so lives from his neighbors.

There were numerous dead and injured. He continued, “The earthquake was terrifying and causes people to feel depressed.

The majority of the victims are from Kunar province, where most people reside in mud-brick and wooded homes dotted with imposing mountains and steep river valleys.

At least 6,700 homes have been destroyed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of September 3.

Rahim claimed to be living in a tent and was concerned about “heavily snowfall” coming his way as the area would soon experience winter.

He said, “We most need proper homes to survive the cold.” I urge everyone to support us, including Muslims and non-Muslims. Even our livestock and chickens, which we no longer own, have been lost. Nothing is still there.

Rescue efforts continue.

Many communities are still without power due to steep roads, repeated aftershocks, and limited aid.

“Recounted Al Jazeera’s Hashem,” the song says, “Getting here was a harrowing experience.” After hours of searching the cliffside roads, we were finally able to drive on the winding roads until we reached the top.

Hope was waning as rescuers “were operating around the clock” in search of survivors, according to Hashem. The official death toll isn’t fixed, but it will likely increase as more people continue to go missing, he said.

According to WHO, relief work has been hampered by landslides and road closures. The organization has filed an appeal for $4 million to fund “life-saving health interventions” as well as “supporting residents’ water, sanitation, and hygiene activities.

Volunteer Abdulrahman Sharafat told Al Jazeera, “They need food assistance, safety, and medicine for the children.”

Because it is near the intersection of the tectonic plates of India and Europe, Afghanistan is prone to powerful earthquakes. More than 2, 000 people died in the western province of Herat as a result of an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 in October 2023.