The residents of the earthquake region in Afghanistan have lost almost everything: relatives, their homes and their possessions. They have to bury the dead and sleep outside for fear of aftershocks.
He keeps digging new graves in the hard ground with his shovel. Abdul Sattar volunteered with others in a village west of the provincial capital Herat. It is located in the Zinda Jan district, where the earth shook the most. Almost everyone in the area has lost relatives.
In a neighboring village, only one clergyman survived, Sattar told the Reuters news agency. “I’ve been here since five in the morning. So far I’ve buried 30 bodies, and there are now more than 500 graves in total.”
Many houses destroyed
Some of the often simply built mud houses in the region collapsed during the first earthquake. Aamena survived. She stands among the rubble of her house and looks between the boulders to see if she can still find any personal belongings. Her legs are barely bandaged. “I was in my room when the earth shook. I wanted to get out, but most of my body was trapped, only my head was free. Later people freed me.”
Outside the village, white flags fly in the barren landscape – one on every grave. And there are many. An excavator digs out a new row. Abdul Ghafoor crouches in front of a freshly constructed mound of earth. He has his eyes closed and rocks back and forth. His facial expression is distorted in pain. “Eight members of my family were killed, only I survived. Now I’m all alone.”
Fear of aftershocks
The magnitude of the earthquakes for the people in the region is unimaginable. They not only lost many relatives, but also their home. Most people now have to spend the night outdoors – also for fear of aftershocks. Just yesterday the earth shook again. If they are lucky, they find shelter in tents distributed by aid organizations. The helpers also distribute blankets, food and water.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two-thirds of the injured admitted to hospitals in Herat province are women and children.
Hoping for international help
The Taliban have called on international aid organizations to provide support. They also asked wealthy Afghans for donations for the affected people in Herat province. The United Nations and the federal government have announced emergency aid of around five million euros each.
The volunteer Abdul Sattar, who will probably dig a few more graves, is hoping for support from abroad. “I call on the international community to provide humanitarian and financial assistance to the affected people. Their first hope is God, followed by other countries. These people are completely helpless.”