Hi there,

In coming days Democracy Now! will continue to bring you post-election results and in-depth analysis on on the impact of the coming Trump administration. Because Democracy Now! does not accept corporate advertising or sponsorship revenue, we rely on viewers like you to feature voices and analysis you won’t get anywhere else. Can you donate $15 to Democracy Now! today to support our post-election coverage? Right now, a generous donor will DOUBLE your gift, which means your $15 donation is worth $30. Please help us air in-depth, substantive coverage of the outcome of the election and what it means for our collective future. Thank you so much! Every dollar makes a difference.

-Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Afghanistan Earthquake Survivors Plead for Aid as Death Toll Nears 3,000

HeadlineOct 10, 2023

In Afghanistan, Taliban officials say the death toll is nearing 3,000 after Saturday’s massive 6.3-magnitude earthquake devastated the western Herat province. Hundreds of people are still missing. Their families have spent nights sleeping among the rubble of villages that were decimated by the quake and its aftershocks, hoping to find their loved ones as they dig through the wreckage with shovels. Bulldozers are being used to clear space for long rows of graves. These are two of the survivors.

Pari Gul: “My two grandchildren are dead. They are buried over there. I lost my whole life. Everything is under the rubble.”

Ataullah: “We want the government and other aid agencies to pay attention to us, to provide us with shelter and food so that the cold weather does not kill us. You can see our situation. They should give their full attention to everyone impacted.”

Afghanistan was already facing a spiraling humanitarian crisis — worsened by U.S.-led sanctions on the Taliban — with at least 15 million people struggling to access food and other resources. The United Nations is allocating funds for aid, while Pakistan, Iran and China have all pledged to send food, medicine, tents and more funds. Iran and Pakistan have also offered to send rescue workers.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top