Destruction everywhere, help scarce after Afghanistan quake

By EBRAHIM NOROOZI and RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

GAYAN, Afghanistan (AP) — Villagers see destruction everywhere and help in short supply days after an earthquake devastated a remote region of southeast Afghanistan and killed at least 1,150 people by authorities’ estimates. Those who were barely scraping by have lost everything. Many have yet to be visited by aid groups, which are struggling to reach the afflicted area on rutted roads. There are fears that help will come too late to the impoverished provinces of Paktika and Khost that straddle the country’s border with Pakistan. Aware of its constraints, the cash-strapped Taliban have called for foreign assistance. China joined countries in pledging nearly $7.5 million in aid. But the relief effort remains patchy for the latest calamity to convulse the country.