Headline10. Oct. 2023
In Afghanistan, Taliban officials said there were about 3,000 deaths after the devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake that devastated the western province of Herat on Saturday. The earthquake and its aftershocks left several towns in ruins, where the families of the hundreds of people still missing slept nights in the rubble, hoping to find their loved ones as they searched the ruins with shovels. Excavators are used to clear the ground so that long rows of graves can be dug. These were the words of two survivors.
Pari Gul: “My two grandchildren are dead. They are buried there. I lost my entire life. “Everything is under rubble.”
Ataullah: “We want the government and other aid organizations [humanitaria] Take care of us, give us shelter and food so that the cold does not kill us. You can see the situation we are in. They should focus their attention on all those affected.”
Afghanistan was already facing a growing humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by United States sanctions against the Taliban that have limited at least 15 million people’s access to food and other resources. The United Nations is providing funds to send aid, while Pakistan, Iran and China have pledged to send food, medicine, tents and other funds. Iran and Pakistan have also offered to send rescue teams.