Just before midnight on Sunday, Matiullah Shahab woke up to find his house in Afghanistan's remote Kunar province shaking. An earthquake measuring 6.0 magnitude struck eastern Afghanistan, resulting in at least 800 fatalities as reported by the UN. Even though the epicenter was 16 km away, the entire village of Asadabad trembled, leaving Shahab and his 23 family members terrified, spending the night in their garden.
When daylight broke, Matiullah, a freelance journalist and human rights activist, traveled to the epicenter's rugged terrain. After a two-hour walk through obstructed paths, he reached Andarlachak, where injured children were being treated on the streets, and at least 79 people were confirmed dead there alone. 'I saw many dead bodies,' he recounted, emphasizing the continuous aftershocks he experienced.
The landscape, he noted, was devastating. Most residents were too shocked to speak, faces covered in dust, resembling 'robots' in their silence. As rescue operations faced roadblocks, helicopters were deployed to remote villages, although many still remained unreachable. Volunteers attempted to rescue trapped survivors, including two women rescued from a collapsed house.
Another survivor, Ezzatullah Safi, described the chaos: screaming children and despair as homes crumbled. Government helicopters provided some assistance, but the region is enveloped in grief.
Across all affected areas, residents find themselves in dire need of basic provisions, including tents, to cope with their losses as they endure a heavy atmosphere of mourning.
When daylight broke, Matiullah, a freelance journalist and human rights activist, traveled to the epicenter's rugged terrain. After a two-hour walk through obstructed paths, he reached Andarlachak, where injured children were being treated on the streets, and at least 79 people were confirmed dead there alone. 'I saw many dead bodies,' he recounted, emphasizing the continuous aftershocks he experienced.
The landscape, he noted, was devastating. Most residents were too shocked to speak, faces covered in dust, resembling 'robots' in their silence. As rescue operations faced roadblocks, helicopters were deployed to remote villages, although many still remained unreachable. Volunteers attempted to rescue trapped survivors, including two women rescued from a collapsed house.
Another survivor, Ezzatullah Safi, described the chaos: screaming children and despair as homes crumbled. Government helicopters provided some assistance, but the region is enveloped in grief.
Across all affected areas, residents find themselves in dire need of basic provisions, including tents, to cope with their losses as they endure a heavy atmosphere of mourning.
