The future of earthquake survivors in eastern Afghanistan who have lost their homes and loved ones and are living in crowded tents looks very uncertain without massive and swift help.
Like many other towns in the region that were destroyed on Wednesday, Akhtar Khan was completely destroyed with 14 houses. Currently, 35 families live in tents very close to their dilapidated homes.
“Before the earthquake, life was good and good, we had houses and God was good,” says Abdu Rahman Abid. Dragged under the rubble, he lost his parents, wife, three daughters, a son and a nephew.
“The earthquake killed eight of my family and my house was destroyed,” he explains with a tired look. “We used to have our own homes and everything we needed, now we have nothing and our families live under a tarp,” he continues.
Two small makeshift camps were set up in dusty gardens near the destroyed houses. There are 35 families, more than 300 people, mostly children, living in tents set up in circles.
The men refused AFP’s request to question the women. The area in one of the gardens is shared with three cows, a donkey, two goats and chickens.
Malin Jan, who lost her two daughters in the earthquake, says, “If life wasn’t very good before because there has been war for years, the earthquake made it harder for us.” “If our children stay in this situation, their lives will be in danger due to rain and snow,” he explains.
endurance and courage
The harsh winter, which lasts for about five months in this remote mountain central region, will come in September.
Mesud Sakib, 37, who lost his wife and three daughters, said, “In general, it is difficult to live at home even in winter. If our houses are not rebuilt by then, our lives will be in danger.”
Health and living conditions in these precarious camps are also at risk of deteriorating rapidly. People go to get water from a nearby well. There is no toilet.
At one of the two parties, some men set up a new tent. “There was only one, we were crammed in, some of them were sleeping in the car,” says one day after the earthquake.
On Saturday, Ramiz Alakbarov, the country’s top UN official, flew by helicopter from Kabul to the region, including the city of Akhtar Khan, with representatives from each UN agency.
Near the ruins, during a meeting with a girl, a very emotional and survivor offered him tea, while Alakbarov could not hold back his tears, greeting the “resistance and courage” of the population.
International emergency aid begins to arrive in droves.
“We need shelter (in a strict sense), the international community should help us rebuild our homes,” says Malin Jan.
The destruction is so great that everything will have to be demolished before it can be rebuilt, which will take time.
Questioned by AFP on the sidelines of a meeting with the UN official on the ground, Afghan Health Minister Kalender Ebad insisted on the “mental and psychological” suffering of the population after the earthquake.
Usually, when a family experiences drama, others surround and support it. But today, as everyone is affected, “We console each other, we can’t do anything else,” explains Malin Jan.
“We ask the world to help us and share our pain,” says Abdul Rahman Abib.
source: Noticias
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