A devastating earthquake hit Kunar province in Afghanistan late Sunday night. It resulted in the most loss of life and destruction. The official death toll had surpassed 800 by Monday evening, with local officials saying they expected the number to keep climbing. Early reports say more than 2,500 people were injured, and thousands of residents are still missing in the villages hit hardest by the mudslides.
The earthquake, measured at 6 on the moment magnitude scale, woke many residents out of bed shortly before midnight. Survivors recounted the harrowing experience as their homes collapsed around them. Hameed Jan, one of the local residents, vividly recalled his ordeal on that fateful day.
“I jumped out of bed and rushed to where my children and parents were sleeping,” he said. In trying to save his wife’s life, Jan found himself stuck in the debris of their own home. Tragically, he lost his wife, two sons, and two brothers in the calamity. He was able to save two of his children, taking them to safety just seconds before the building fell down.
“It felt as if the entire mountain was collapsing on us,” Jan added, highlighting the sheer terror that residents faced during the quake.
As rescue operations are still going on, graveyards in Mazar valley have filled with those that perished. According to local cleric Abdul Rahim, it’s still a dire situation, one in which graveyards can’t keep pace with a growing death toll. Local individuals have begun to hand-dig graves as the death toll climbs and emergency relief is still suspended. They’re getting ready for dozens more bodies to come in every half hour.
Forward-looking families like Jan’s have suffered through too many personal tragedies. In the meantime, whole villages throughout Kunar have been flattened. Residents are now living with the hellish reality of looking for missing loved ones in the debris. Many locals have reported that authorities have been slow to respond to the crisis, leaving communities feeling abandoned.
“There are women and children pleading for help but there are no authorities present to help them,” stated a resident from the Maza Dara area. This despairing sentiment is the voice of anger and powerlessness that so many are experiencing as they watch fellow citizens buried beneath rubble.
Sohail Shaheen, a senior Taliban official who has been watching the death toll closely, raised alarms about the prospect of the battlefield destruction to come. “I’m afraid the loss of human life is incredibly severe,” he noted, as rescue crews continued working round-the-clock to get people — very few alive — from the rubble.
Local hospitals recently announced their own state of emergency as they continue to deal with the surge of injured patients. Medical personnel have been strained by the surge of patients needing emergency care and escape from this violence. With resources stretched to the breaking point, the overwhelming fear is that without immediate assistance, the damage will only get worse.
Rescue operations are ongoing and families continue to grieve their loss. Though faced with this tragedy, the people of Kunar area undaunted. Yet, even in the face of insurmountable sorrow and destruction, the community has begun to organize efforts to take care of one another.