'There is death under every roof'

Quake toll rising as rescuers race to remote villages

- BY ANDY LINES

SURVIVORS of a massive earthquake in Afghanistan said there is "death in every home" as the toll climbed toward 1,000, with at least 2,500 injured.

Rescue teams were yesterday trying to reach remote villages in the mountainous eastern region after Sunday night's 6.0-magnitude quake.

Labourer Muhammad Aziz said 10 of his relatives, including his five children, had been killed and many people from his village remained trapped under the rubble.

He said: "The poor people in this area have lost everything. There is death in every home, and beneath the rubble of each roof, there are dead bodies.

"The mud houses have been wiped away and destruction is everywhere. People are desperately seeking help."

Another man, Sadiqullah, who lives in the Mazar valley, said he had been woken up by a "deep boom that sounded like a huge storm".

He ran to where his children were sleeping and rescued three of them.

OVERWHELMED

He was about to return to save the rest of his family when the roof crashed down on top of him.