China-donated tents provide sigh of relief to quake-affected Afghans

HERAT, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) — Abdul Hamid, a villager from west Afghanistan’s Herat province, received Chinese assistance, including a tent, after sleeping in the open for several days as a result of several destructive earthquakes that struck Afghanistan since Oct. 7.

“The tents donated by China are of good quality, sturdy, and have stood against the strong winds, so we are very satisfied with these tents,” Hamid, who lost four of his family members, told Xinhua.

West Afghanistan’s Herat province has experienced its ever-destructive earthquakes in recent decades as several tremors, some measuring a magnitude 6.3, caused thousands of casualties.

The destructive earthquakes rendered hundreds of families homeless in the province, forcing them to live under trees in chilly wind and dust storm.

The Chinese government has pledged emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan to help the country with earthquake relief work.

The first batch of earthquake relief supplies including tents and rollaway beds donated by the Chinese government arrived at Afghanistan’s Herat International Airport last Sunday morning and was handed over to the Afghan side.

“Currently, the problem of homelessness has been largely alleviated by the tents donated by China,” Hamid said while describing China as a good neighbor of Afghanistan.

According to him, three of his relatives who had fled to other districts for refuge due to the earthquakes have also returned home in recent days since they received China-donated tents.

“I would like to thank China for providing significant assistance. These tents protect us from sandstorm and rain,” said Qasim Jan, 40, as several sandstorms swept through Herat following the earthquakes and hindered much of the rescue efforts.

“Those survived the quakes might have perished in the cold weather if we did not receive China-donated tents,” another tent recipient Dawood Shah observed that the timely receiving of China-donated tents have saved the lives of the locals.

Herat provincial government spokesman Nisar Ahmad Elias also expressed his gratitude to China as it stood by the side of Afghans during this particularly difficult period. ■

(Source: Xinhua)