Families of South Asia quake victims bury their dead

Families of South Asia quake victims bury their dead

10:51 am

Aljazeera
The afternoon before the earthquake struck in Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of India, Lal Mohammed, a driver based in Islamabad drove back – along with his family – to his hometown in Bajaur Agency, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to attend his aunt’s funeral.
Little did he know that a few hours later he would have to attend the funeral of his three children.
At least 260 people were killed in Pakistan and 83 in Afghanistan when the powerful 7.5-magnitude quake struck Afghanistan and rocked neighbouring Pakistan, causing heavy damage to some of the world’s poorest and conflict prone regions.
The quake was 213km deep and centred 254km northeast of Kabul, according to the US Geological survey.

 

Communication services were disrupted in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in the immediate aftermath of the quake, as phone lines were flooded by people trying to reach family members and loved-ones.
Lal Mohammed left behind his three children at home and headed with his wife to the funeral of his aunt a few blocks away. As he felt the tremors, he knew his children were unsafe.
“The earthquake was so strong that I could feel my body swinging,” Mohammed said. “I ran back home as soon as the earthquake stopped. But I guess it was too late by then.”
Mohammed’s three children were killed when the celling of their mud-built house collapsed. The youngest one was only five years old.
“I just buried them a while ago. I could never imagine they would be taken away from me this way. My wife is in a state of shock and is not responding