“Alas, my books buried below the rubbles”, a minor survivor of Harnai earthquake mourns
Hanif Tareen, Manan Mandokhail, Syed Ali Shah :
“Alas, my books buried below the rubbles”, 12-year old Kaleemullah, a minor survivor of the Harnai earthquake mourns. A mild earthquake struck Harnai, a district of Pakistan’s Southwestern province in the wee hours of Thursday.
With tears in his eyes, Kaleemullah was searching his class four books below the debris of his mud-walled house. Hundreds of mud-walled houses collapsed when a mild earthquake struck one of the backward and impoverished regions of the country.
“Thank God, my books are safe”, Kaleemullah, a resident of Killi Gharibabad area of Harnai said. The roof of the mud-walled house of Kaleemullah was collapsed and cracks appeared in its walls. Other family members were psychologically affected by the earthquake.
Kaleemullah’s family narrowly survives
Fortunately, Kaleemullah’s family had narrowly survived the jolts that claimed over 20 lives and injured over 200 people including women and children. However, Abdul Waheed, the father of Kaleemullah had suffered a minor injury because of the earthquake.
The earthquake survivors spent a sleepless night because of aftershocks. In cold weather, the survivors spent the night in an open sky without tents and blankets, and everything was buried beneath the debris of collapsed houses.
Deputy Commissioner Harnai, Sohail Anwar Hashmi, levies, and personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC) were quick at the spot after the deadly earthquake struck the area. Pak Army evacuated the seriously injured of the earthquake through helicopters to Quetta for medical treatment.
Pak Army helicopters shifted seriously injured to Quetta
Over three dozen injured in the earthquake were admitted to various government-run hospitals in Quetta. “It was like a doomsday”, Abdul Haq Miani, an elder of Harnai said. “We found injured and rubbles of houses all around in the night”, Mr. Miani recalled.
Governor Balochistan, Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha, and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan reached the earthquake Harnai and reviewed rescue operation and relief activities in the area. “We will not leave the survivors alone in this hour of trial”, the Governor told reporters.
The CM Balochistan, Jam Kamal Khan also directed all departments to expedite efforts for timely relief to the earthquake survivors.
