BEHARAN LEHİB

Kunar — Hajira Noor, a survivor of the Kunar earthquake, recounted the horrifying scenes that claimed members of her family. She said the lack of roads and medical facilities has worsened the suffering, and aid remains scarce amid looting and delays in evacuating the injured.

 

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake, which struck late at night on August 31, devastated the provinces of Kunar, Laghman, and Jalalabad, causing widespread damage to homes and farmland in the affected provinces. In Jalalabad, several villages in the Darai Nur area suffered severe destruction, including the deaths of four children buried under collapsed houses. Laghman province reported mostly material losses, with no fatalities.

 

The worst devastation occurred in Kunar, where the Chapa Dara and Mazar Dara districts were flattened. Residents continued searching the rubble for bodies two days after the disaster. Taliban statistics indicate that more than 1,000 people were killed and approximately 2,500 injured.

 

Kunar, known for its mountainous terrain and the fast-flowing Kunar River, faces constant challenges due to its geography, which becomes particularly perilous during natural disasters.

 

Hajira Noor described the night of the earthquake: “It was midnight when I heard a terrifying sound and woke up to see the room collapsing. I grabbed my two-year-old daughter and fled with my husband. By the time we got outside, our house had completely fallen. My elderly parents-in-law in the next room couldn’t escape; rescue teams recovered their bodies the next day after hours of searching.”

 

She added that some families lost all members, while others had only one or two survivors. “Every day, we bury our loved ones—mostly children, women, and the elderly who couldn’t escape,” she said.

 

Asked about aid, she simply replied, “None.” Noor explained that the affected valleys lack proper roads and healthcare centers, severely hampering relief efforts, particularly for injured women who face extreme difficulty accessing treatment. Helicopters are often required to deliver aid.

 

She warned that the humanitarian situation is dire, with ongoing looting of aid supplies causing significant delays in evacuating the injured. “The severe shortage of resources threatens lives continuously, making every passing moment a harsh test of survival,” Noor said.