We have no help' Villagers battle to save lives

It was almost midnight when Hameed Jan was jolted awake in his bed by a deep rumble. Powerful tremors were shaking his small house in Piran, a village in Afghanistan's Kunar region.

- Haroon Janjua Shah Meer Baloch

It was almost midnight when Hameed Jan was jolted awake in his bed by a deep rumble. Powerful tremors were shaking his small house in Piran, a village in Afghanistan's Kunar region. He could see the walls were beginning to crack.

"I jumped out of bed and rushed to where my children and parents were sleeping," said Jan. "I managed to rescue two of my children and brought them outside to safety. I went back inside to save my younger siblings, but as I did, the roof and walls collapsed around me."

As the magnitude 6 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday night, Jan found himself buried in the rubble of his own house. As much as he tried to claw at the debris, he could not push his head through the wreckage.

It took villagers five hours to free him. But when he finally broke through, he was greeted with scenes of tragedy and devastation.

His wife, two sons and two brothers were among those killed when the powerful earthquake struck, razing entire villages across the region.