Jimu News Reporter Hu Xiuwen
Intern Peng Xinyi
When the earthquake occurred, Afghanistan resident Naseem Gul’s house built of stone and mud collapsed. In the predawn darkness, he trudged through the rubble in search of his father and two sisters. He didn't know how long he dug with his hands before he caught a glimpse of the bodies under the rubble. They were dead...
html On June 22, Afghanistan suffered the worst earthquake in more than 20 years. The eastern Khost and Paktika provinces were severely affected. The earthquake has killed at least 1,500 people, injured more than 2,000 people, and destroyed more than 10,000 houses.
On June 26, an Afghan boy sat in the yard of a destroyed house (Photo source: Associated Press)
According to The Associated Press reported on June 27, residents in the affected areas were living in difficulty. Although all parties were taking action, For the victims, aid is far from enough.
Villagers dig out dead relatives with their bare hands
Days after the earthquake, the disaster area is devastated and there is insufficient aid.
Gul suffered injuries to his hands and shoulders, and his niece and nephew also died in the earthquake. "I don't know what will happen, how to start our lives again." On June 26, Gul told the media, "We have no money to rebuild."
There is no money to rebuild, which is common to thousands of people in impoverished villages. fear.
The villagers dug up their dead relatives with their own hands, buried them in mass graves, and slept in the woods despite the rain. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly 800 families are living outdoors.
Disaster area (Photo source: Associated Press)
Gur received tents and blankets from a local charity, but he and his surviving relatives had to fend for themselves. The aftershocks on June 24 claimed the lives of five more people. Gul was afraid of earthquakes and his children were unwilling to enter the house.
Aid groups and authorities are still driving to the affected areas, although some roads are impassable due to landslides and damage.
Relief efforts are fragmented and limited
Aware of their limitations, cash-strapped Afghanistan appealed for foreign aid and on June 25 called on the United States to unfreeze Afghanistan's billions of dollars in currency reserves. The United Nations and a series of international aid groups and countries have mobilized to provide help.
html On June 25, the Chinese government decided to provide 50 million yuan in emergency humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including tents, towels, quilts, folding beds and other urgently needed materials for Afghan victims. The first batch is scheduled to be shipped by chartered flight on the 27th.Iran , Pakistan , South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Qatar and other countries dispatched aircraft to the earthquake-stricken areas to provide urgently needed supplies.
Disaster relief (Photo source: AP)
On June 25, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, Ramiz Arakbarov, traveled to the hard-hit Paktika province to assess damage and distribute food, medicine and tent. Helicopters and trucks loaded with bread, flour, rice and blankets have been arriving in the affected areas. Arakbarov called for repairs to damaged water pipes, roads and communication lines in the region.
However, relief efforts remain fragmented and limited due to funding constraints.
Most civil servants have not been paid for months
The earthquake is the latest disaster to destabilize Afghanistan, adding to its economic woes.
Since the Taliban took power last August, Afghanistan has been suffering from a dire economic crisis as the United States and its NATO allies withdraw their troops. Foreign aid, which had been the mainstay of Afghanistan's economy for decades, stopped almost overnight.
Afghanistan under the Taliban has been suffering sanctions from governments around the world that have stopped bank transfers, paralyzed trade and refused to recognize the Taliban government. The United States has cut off Afghanistan's access to $7 billion in foreign exchange reserves held by the United States.
Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi urged the White Houseto release the funds and lift banking restrictions so that charities can more easily provide aid.
About half of the country’s 39 million people now face life-threatening food insecurity due to poverty.Most civil servants, including doctors, nurses and teachers, have not been paid for months.
Even before the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan was ravaged by war and poverty, and remote areas hit by earthquakes were particularly ill-equipped to cope.
Some local businessmen have already taken action. On June 26, the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Investment stated that they had raised more than $1.5 million in funds for the disaster-stricken areas.
Still, help may not be enough for those whose homes were destroyed. "We have nothing left," Gur said.
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