Afghanistan Earthquake Survivors Tell Stories Of Heartbreak And Loss

The magnitude 7.5 quake struck in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan's extreme north, in the Hindu Kush mountain range, at a depth of 130 miles in the year 2005. More than two minutes of continuous earthquakes were reported in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. According to officials, at least 147 individuals were killed in Pakistan and 33 in Afghanistan. Unlike the previous 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan in 2005, this earthquake was far deeper, resulting in less damage. It was a sort of quake that experts could not fully comprehend, despite the fact that it occurred in what the US Geological Survey (USGS) describes as "one of the most seismically dangerous places on Earth."

As governments and humanitarian organizations continue to rescue and relief operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, several survivors of huge earthquakes say they have lost everything, even the chance of returning to regular life. News agencies reached out to people to lost their loved ones in this devasting tragedy.

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One person named Adbul Qader exclaimed that he lost six of his cousins to the calamity. He claimed he knew of one family who perished as a whole, as well as another that lost many children. Some survivors stated they had nothing to look forward to after losing children, animals, and their houses."We have lost it all. We had stocked some grains and flour, but all is gone," said Fazle Wahab, who is from Pakistan's Bajur area, along the Afghan border.

Unlike the previous 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan in 2005, this earthquake was far deeper, resulting in less damage

Photo by Sunyu Kim on Unsplash

Many individuals had lost their houses and were in dire need of food and shelter. Saddam Hussain of Pakistan's Upper Dir region, which was among the most impacted, related his experience: "Our cattle were killed, and our kitchen was entirely destroyed." I'm not sure if we'll be able to cook anything for supper tonight."

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According to Pakistan's military, engineers were successful in restoring sections of the Karakoram Highway that had been closed due to landslides triggered by the earthquake. The reopening enabled officials to begin bringing relief supplies to impacted communities in the northern regions, where scores of people were murdered and hundreds were displaced. According to Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa, an army spokesperson, helicopters and military planes were bringing relief supplies, while military engineers were trying to restore communication links destroyed by landslides.

People in Afghanistan were pleading with the government to come to their aid and provide financial assistance. "In addition to the loss of human life, we have lost our possessions, and we want the government to provide us with financial assistance," an Afghan civilian stated. Sonatullah Taimor, a spokesman for the governor of Afghanistan's Takhar province, said food, blankets, and tents were in short supply, at a time when people have been warned to sleep outside, in near-freezing temperatures, in case of aftershocks. (VOA/JC)

(This article is a rehash from Voice of America)