Desk Reports :
“I buried three babies in one grave with my own hands. Two more young men in another grave,” Afghan national Nasrallah Khan choked as he spoke. According to a Reuters report, Nasrallah had traveled six hours to the Dewagul Valley in Kunar province to help with rescue efforts in the earthquake-hit areas.
He told Reuters, “The first person I met here lost 18 members of his family. In most of the houses in the affected areas, only two or three survived, the rest died. This is the first time I have seen so many bodies together. All the houses have been destroyed.” Nasrallah said emotionally that he saw countless children’s bodies, wrapped in burlap. Nearby, men were digging graves with spades. He said that at that moment he thought nothing could be more cruel than this scene. Nasrallah said that he went to three villages and helped bury about 41 bodies. However, it was not possible to bury all the bodies properly. Because they had to hurry for fear of aftershocks.
Last Sunday, a magnitude 6 earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan. Several villages were destroyed. According to the latest reports, more than 1,400 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured in the earthquake. According to a spokesman for the Taliban government, about 5,500 houses were destroyed.
Two days after the earthquake, another major earthquake struck the southeastern region of the country. Officials said that three villages in Kunar had completely collapsed, killing more than 600 people.
The Ministry of Defense said that rescue operations were underway with helicopters due to the collapse of roads. So far, about 450 people have been evacuated to safe shelters in 40 flights. Rescue workers are said to be conducting operations in more remote areas.
