We Have Nothing for Winter’: Afghan Families Face Grim Months After Deadly Earthquake

A month after a devastating earthquake killed nearly 2,000 people in eastern Afghanistan, survivors say they are bracing for a harsh winter without shelter, food, or adequate aid.

Sky News travelled through the remote, mountainous Mazar Dara valley in Nangarhar Province, where entire villages were reduced to rubble by the midnight quake — one of the worst the country has ever seen.

In Wadir, a village in Nurgal District, eight-year-old Rahmanullah stood by the grave of his six-year-old brother, Abouzar, who died as their home collapsed. His older brother managed to pull him from the wreckage moments before the roof gave way. “He took my hand and said, ‘get up or the building will fall on you,’” Rahmanullah recounted.

The earthquake struck as families slept, killing mostly women and children. Makeshift graveyards filled with white flags now mark where generations were buried together.

The quake came amid Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian crisis, compounded by widespread poverty, drought, and the near-total withdrawal of Western aid since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. This year, the United States cut nearly all funding, forcing hundreds of health facilities to close and leaving millions without consistent food supplies.

Despite international sanctions, locals praised the Taliban’s immediate response, including rescue missions and medical evacuations by helicopter. Rows of white tents now line the valleys — signs of emergency aid that managed to reach the isolated region.

But as temperatures drop, many fear the worst is yet to come.

“We don’t have anything for winter,” said Mohammad Salem, a 45-year-old father who injured his leg in the quake. “Our children are living in tents. They lie in the dirt. Everything we had is destroyed.”

In the nearby village of Andarlackhak, Ajeebah, a mother of ten, lost five of her children in the disaster. Sitting in a tent with her surviving son and daughter, she said quietly, “I didn’t want to bury them… but what could I do?”

Humanitarian agencies warn that thousands remain vulnerable as malnutrition spreads and freezing temperatures approach. With women barred from working and aid channels shrinking, the challenge of survival looms larger than ever.