2023-10-08 17:50:02
Searches under the rubble are still underway, and the provisional results are already terrifying. More than 2,000 people, according to Taliban authorities, are believed to have died after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Herat province in western Afghanistan around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The epicenter of the earthquake is located around forty kilometers from Herat.
Four strong aftershocks of magnitudes 5.5, 4.7, 6.3 and 5 followed, according to the American Institute of Geosciences. It is undoubtedly the deadliest earthquake in twenty-five years, while the country is in the grip of a serious humanitarian crisis, further aggravated by the reduction in international aid.
“It was extremely strong when it started. People were stunned, hallucinated. A few minutes later, everyone started running out of their houses. I’m still in shock myself.”, says Jawad Rasouly, 24, from downtown Herat, where he lives. The young man describes scenes of panic in the streets. “No one wants to go home, homes are dangerous, they can collapse. So people stay on the boulevards, in the streets. »
“We are afraid of new shocks”
The villages of the surrounding districts are the most affected, in particular that of Sarboland in Zanda Jan, even if no official report has been made yet. Images are circulating on social networks and local media showing, alongside piles of rubble, dozens of people lying under thick blankets, which have become their makeshift shelters.
Electricity and Internet work poorly, roads are almost inaccessible. According to the government, at least 1,300 houses were destroyed.
Nematullah, 25, an English teacher, describes spending the night on the streets outside Herat: “We are afraid of new tremors, we slept in the street with our tents. The city wasn’t safe last night. » The teacher was giving a lesson during the first tremors. “I am deeply depressed, stunned, I have lost some members of my family. I can’t think of anything, my brain and my mind are too damaged. » The World Health Organization indicates that at least 4,200 people are directly or indirectly affected by the earthquake.
Severe lack of hospital services
Health facilities are sorely lacking. The pediatric departments of the Herat regional hospital, with a capacity of 60 beds, must care for 140 children. As of Sunday morning, at least 2,000 injured people had presented themselves at the hospital. “Hospitals are dysfunctional. Fortunately, we collaborate effectively with private clinics, we have installed 80-bed tents”observes Sarah Chateau, head of operations in Afghanistan for Médecins sans frontières (MSF).
The UN estimates that 28.8 million Afghans need immediate assistance in 2023, and 90% of the population lives below the poverty line. “There is another aggravating factor: the start of winter. Temperatures already fluctuate between 0 and 5°C at night”, continues Sarah Chateau. The population remains traumatized, like Jawad Rasouly: “I’m only 24, and I think this is the worst experience of my life. Pray for us, so that all these dead go to heaven. »
#Pray #dead #heaven