Revealed On 14 Sep 2025
Andarlachak (Kunar), Afghanistan – Habib-ur Rahman led a easy life as a farmer in Loya Banda village, a number of hours’ stroll from the camp the place he sought refuge in Diwa Gul valley in Chawkay district of jap Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
The magnitude 6 earthquake, which struck the area on the evening of August 31, was in contrast to any he had lived by means of earlier than.
“Previously, when there was an earthquake, we had time to save lots of ourselves. This time round, the shake was very highly effective and so sudden that individuals didn’t even have the time to get up from sleep. Those that awoke have been both injured or caught underneath the rubble. However many by no means awoke in any respect,” Rahman advised Al Jazeera.
The picturesque valley, situated some 30km (12 miles) from Kunar’s capital, Asadabad, is dotted with camps housing displaced folks and ghost villages with houses destroyed so badly they’re uninhabitable. Authorities say about 2,200 folks have been killed and greater than 5,000 houses destroyed by the earthquake in jap Afghanistan, most of them in Kunar.
The United Nations says half one million folks have been affected. Native authorities say they’ve distributed greater than 780 tents alongside all the Diwa Gul valley to date.
The village subsequent to the camp the place Rahman discovered security was dwelling to some 200 households. Most of the homes are nonetheless standing, however authorities have referred to as on folks to maneuver to the camps for his or her security as aftershocks proceed to rock the valley greater than 10 days after the earthquake hit, and will trigger additional harm.
Cattle roam the slim alleys of Andarlachak, with villagers strolling away from the camp solely to provide them water and feed them. For most individuals within the valley, the small plots of land and the animals are their solely fortune.
“We’re all simply easy farmers on this valley, with a little bit of land and some animals. However we had life and all the things we wanted. Now we’ve misplaced all the things,” stated Rahman.
