Kunar Earthquake: Six Family Members Buried Under Rubble

“At 12 midnight, it was a catastrophe. When I opened my eyes, the roof had collapsed, and six members of my family were trapped under the debris. I can still hear their voices in my ears.”

Parwiz, a resident of Dara-e-Mazar in Nurgal district of Kunar, one of the villages nearly destroyed in last week’s earthquake, recounts the tragic event with a trembling voice and tear-filled eyes.

Parwiz’s house, like many rural homes in Kunar, was made of mud and wood and could not withstand the earthquake. That night, he was sleeping in the courtyard while the rest of his family were inside the house.

“My mother, my wife, one of my sisters, and three of my children were sleeping inside. I woke up with a violent shake of the ground, and when I realized what had happened, the roof had fallen on all my family members. I couldn’t do anything. I was in shock. It was a catastrophe, a catastrophe!”

With a broken and trembling voice, he continues: “I can still hear my children’s voices in my ears. They were trapped under the debris and calling for help. My daughter shouted: ‘Father, get us out from under the rubble! I can’t breathe, give me water…’ But by the time I cleared the debris, I could hear nothing anymore.”

On Sunday night, 31 August 2025, a strong earthquake struck parts of Kunar and Nangarhar. More than 2,500 people were killed, and thousands were left homeless. In various districts of Kunar, over six thousand homes were destroyed, and the number of injured exceeded three thousand. Parwiz is just one of thousands of survivors who lost their homes and loved ones in an instant.

Parwiz, who lost six members of his family, is still struggling with the shock and pain of the disaster. He says he has not slept for ten nights and constantly fears that another earthquake may strike.

“I can still hear voices under the rubble, as if someone is still alive. My family is constantly in front of my eyes. I feel destroyed, and life has no meaning anymore.”

He accuses the Taliban of failing to allow rescue teams to reach the earthquake-hit areas on time. According to him, the shortage of doctors, especially female doctors, caused many women to lose their lives. “If the rescue teams had arrived in the first hours, perhaps my family and many others could have been saved.”

Parwiz says that now he, along with other survivors, is living in tents, and the only hope for the people is humanitarian aid. “We lost everything in the earthquake. The survivors’ only hope is humanitarian help. Destroyed homes must be rebuilt and aid must reach us.”

The heaviest casualties occurred in the districts of Nurgal, Chawkay, Watahpur, and Manogi in Kunar, with most victims being women and children. The mud-brick houses, remote locations, social restrictions, difficult access to health services, and shortage of doctors, especially female doctors, have made the survivors’ situation even more critical.