Earthquake Disaster in Eastern Afghanistan: Survivors Left Homeless

The recent deadly earthquakes in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan have claimed over a thousand lives and injured three thousand people. Thousands of homes and farmlands have been destroyed, and survivors are facing severe challenges due to the lack of shelter, drinking water, and healthcare services.

Mountainous areas and remote villages have suffered the most damage and remain without aid. The highest casualties and financial losses have been reported in the districts of Dara Noor in Nangarhar and Nurgal, Ghaziabad, Mazar Dara, and other areas in Kunar.

Abdulmanan, a resident of Loy Khwarr in Nurgal district, Kunar, said: “Hundreds of homes and thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed, and people’s livestock lost, yet no organization has come to help so far. The mountainous areas of Minjigal, Lowri Khwarr, and Shamash have been completely neglected, and bodies are still trapped under the rubble.”

In Ghaziabad, Kunar, Ainullah, who lost his wife, two daughters, and mother in the disaster, shared his painful experience: “I could not pull them out from under the rubble. My entire life has been destroyed.” He added that survivors are struggling with severe water shortages and lack of healthcare, as wells and springs in the area have been destroyed.

In Dara Noor, Nangarhar, several villages have been completely flattened. Witnesses say that most victims in the area are women and children. Khan Mohammad, one of the survivors, warned: “People have gone two days without food or water. If immediate help does not arrive, many children, women, and elderly will lose their lives.”

Officials from the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan have also confirmed that many affected people remain in remote areas without assistance. They stated that rescue operations have begun, but the scale of the disaster and the lack of resources have made the aid process extremely slow.

According to official figures, at least one thousand people have been killed and three thousand injured. In addition, thousands of families have lost their homes, farmland, livestock, and vital resources. The destruction of qanats, wells, and springs has turned the water crisis into a serious threat for survivors.

Despite promises of aid from some Afghan traders and citizens, a crucial question remains: how and through what mechanisms will this assistance reach the homeless families? With every hour being critical for saving lives, delays in aid distribution could significantly worsen the scale of the disaster.