Afghans in the GTA were devastated by a powerful June 22 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan that killed 1,000 people and injured approximately 1,500 others.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the remote mountainous regions of Guyana and Barmal in the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktika, Khost and Nangarhar, which are close to the border with Pakistan.
This disaster is the deadliest of its kind in decades in the region.
Local Afghan businessman and journalist Nasir Khalid said everyone in the Afghan community of about 110,000 GTA members was overwhelmed by the news from home.
“We are all really sad, really upset about what happened,” said Khalid, a prominent local Afghan leader who administers the popular Afghan community in Toronto on Facebook.
“For me, everyone in Afghanistan is part of my family and everything that happened to them makes me feel affected.
Khalid said details of the quake were still emerging at this early stage, but did not look good.
“It’s a big loss. There is huge damage, “he said.
“No one knows who was killed, who was wounded and who is alive. Everyone is worried about their family. “
Khalid said GTA people are particularly concerned about their loved ones affected by the quake, as the Taliban do not have the infrastructure or response systems, adequate equipment or experience to deal properly with this type of crisis.
“It’s a really sad situation,” he said.
Asma Faizi, president of the Afghan Women’s Association, said the disaster comes at a time when her country is already in a state of deep turmoil.
“(This earthquake) is devastating to our people. As you know in the last year or so, given the recent crisis, so much has already happened in Afghanistan as a result of the four decades of war, COVID, the recent crisis. Afghanistan has also been in the middle of a second drought for four years, and now adding that to it is devastating to the community here, “Faizi told CP24, adding that what happened really affected people’s already eroded mental health. and well-being.
“To have this additional disaster happen at a time when the situation in Afghanistan is so dire is simply devastating.”
Faizi said several local and international organizations and agencies are raising funds to help those directly affected by the disaster. She called on people to contribute as much as they could and hoped the Canadian government would respond to these funds.
“We know there are problems with the Taliban and people do not want to send money to Afghanistan, but this is a humanitarian crisis. “Even the Taliban are asking for help because of the scale of what is happening,” said Faizi, who also called on the international community to intervene immediately and provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Speaking to CP24, Imam Mohammad Nouri, president of the Ettobikok-based Aid for Afghan Muslim Immigrants, offered his condolences to all those who lost a loved one in the disaster and wishes to all those injured.
Nuri said Afghan GTA leaders would meet on Friday to plan some local fundraising events for Afghanistan.
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