Current:Home > InvestAfghans still hope to find survivors from quake that killed over 2,000 in western Herat province-LoTradeCoin
Afghans still hope to find survivors from quake that killed over 2,000 in western Herat province
View Date:2024-12-24 00:11:06
ZINDA JAN, Afghanistan (AP) — Clinging to hope that finding survivors was still possible, Afghan rescuers and villagers kept digging through rubble in western Herat province on Tuesday, three days after one of the deadliest earthquakes in the region left more than 2,000 dead.
Elsewhere in Herat, people were digging graves for loved ones killed in Saturday’s 6.3 magnitude quake. On a barren field in the district of Zinda Jan, a bulldozer removed mounds of earth to clear space for a long row of graves.
“It is very difficult to find a family member from a destroyed house and a few minutes to later bury him or her in a nearby grave, again under the ground,” said Mir Agha, from the city of Herat who had joined hundreds of volunteers to help the locals in Zinda Jan.
Across kilometers (miles) of dusty hills, there was little left of villages besides rubble and funerals.
Related Coverage Mounds of rubble and a future of grief are what’s left after Afghanistan earthquake killed thousands Desperate people dig out dead and injured from Afghanistan earthquakes that killed at least 2,000In Naib Rafi, a village that previously had about 2,500 residents, people said that almost no one was alive besides men who were working outside when the quake struck. Survivors worked all day with excavators to dig long trenches for mass burials.
Janan Sayiq, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government’s national disaster authority, said the quake killed and injured thousands but couldn’t provide a breakdown for the casualties. Earlier, Taliban officials said more than 2,000 had died across Herat.
The epicenter was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, the provincial capital, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Several of the aftershocks have been strong, including one on Monday that again caused residents of the city to rush out of their homes.
The United Nations said the Zinda Jan district was the worst-affected area with 1,294 deaths and 1,688 injuries there. Also, 485 people — 191 men and 294 women — are missing. Six schools are also reported to have been destroyed in the district, said the U.N.
Nearly 2,000 houses in 20 villages were destroyed, the Taliban have said. The area hit by the quake has just one government-run hospital.
As winter approaches, the new disaster is likely to make it even harder for people to meet basic needs, such as shelter, food and medicine, aid groups have warned.
It is not clear how much foreign aid has reached Herat since Saturday. The global response to the quake has been slow, with much of the world wary of dealing directly with the Taliban-led government and focused on the deadly escalation between Israel and the Palestinians in the aftermath of the surprise attack by Gaza militants on Saturday.
Pakistan has pledged to send blankets, tents, and medicines, and China is reported to have offered cash and other means of emergency humanitarian assistance.
Other foreign governments said they will work with aid agencies on the ground to help with rescue and recovery, and Afghans have launched fundraising campaigns.
Authorities in Kabul did not respond to questions about how much aid has arrived from overseas.
The Taliban’s justice ministry has urged national and international charity foundations, businessmen and Afghans to gather aid for the province.
“Due to the extent of damages and casualties caused by this incident, a large number of our compatriots in Herat province need urgent humanitarian aid,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and his team visited the quake-affected region on Monday to deliver “immediate relief assistance” and ensure “equitable and accurate distribution of aid,” authorities said.
The Taliban’s supreme leader has made no public comments about the quake.
Top U.N officials in Afghanistan also went to Zinda Jan to assess the extent of the damage. In neighboring Pakistan, the government held a special session to review aid for Afghanistan, including relief teams, food, medicine, tents and blankets.
Vital infrastructure, including bridges, was destroyed and emergency response teams have been deployed to provide humanitarian assistance, the International Rescue Committee said.
More than 35 teams from the military and nonprofit groups are involved in rescue efforts, said Sayiq, from the disaster authority.
Afghans are still reeling from other recent disasters, including the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in March that struck much of western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, and an earthquake that hit eastern Afghanistan in June 2022, flattening stone and mud-brick homes and killing at least 1,000 people.
___
AP writer Rahim Faiez contributed to this report from Islamabad.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- When does 'Dune: Prophecy' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch prequel series
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Flip Side
- This new restaurant bans anyone under 30: Here's why
- South Carolina baseball lures former LSU coach Paul Mainieri out of retirement
- Ford agrees to pay up to $165 million penalty to US government for moving too slowly on recalls
- Off-duty guard charged with killing Seattle-area teen after mistaking toy for gun, authorities say
- Man arraigned in fatal shooting of off-duty Chicago police officer
- Virginia deputy dies after altercation with bleeding moped rider he was trying to help
- Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
- Federal appeals court upholds California law banning gun shows at county fairs
Ranking
- 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed
- Psst! West Elm Just Added an Extra 40% off Their Clearance Sale Section, With Home Decor Starting at $20
- Rihanna Reveals the “Stunning” Actress She’d Like to Play Her in a Biopic
- Maren Morris came out as bisexual. Here's the truth about coming out.
- Forget the bathroom. When renovating a home, a good roof is a no-brainer, experts say.
- Off-duty guard charged with killing Seattle-area teen after mistaking toy for gun, authorities say
- Chace Crawford Confirms He’s Hooked Up With One of His Gossip Girl Co-Stars
- NBA Finals Game 3 Celtics vs. Mavericks: Predictions, betting odds
Recommendation
-
Kentucky woman seeking abortion files lawsuit over state bans
-
Americans celebrate their flag every year, and the holiday was born in Wisconsin
-
AP sources: 8 people with possible Islamic State ties arrested in US on immigration violations
-
National Amusements ends Paramount merger talks with Skydance Media
-
'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
-
Officer uses Taser on fan who ran onto GABP field, did backflip at Reds-Guardians game
-
Billy Ray Cyrus files for divorce from Firerose after 7 months of marriage
-
Kristin Cavallari says she was 'skin and bones' during 'unhappy' marriage to Jay Cutler