Gone before their time: The collapse of a girls seminary
Official rescue operations still have not started in Mashkey; many injured in critical condition.
Official rescue operations still have not started in Mashkey; many injured in critical condition. PHOTO: FILE
QUETTA/KARACHI:
When the earthquake struck on Tuesday, it took seconds for the three-room Jamia Hafsa al Banaat, an Islamic seminary for girls, to come crashing down in Mashkey. At least 26 students were killed on the spot, and dozens others injured.
“Everything collapsed within the blink of an eye,” recalls Hafiz Abdul Karim, a teacher at Madrassa Anwarul Uloom, a seminary for boys near Jamia Hafsa. “There was no place in the graveyard, so we buried the students in front of their classrooms. We had no other option.”
Karim left the area to come to Karachi on Thursday, for treatment of his wounds.
A chaotic aftermath
“My fellow students and I came out of the classrooms and could hardly walk,” says Karim. “We just sat down in fear.”
According to Hafiz Asif, head of the Anwarul Aloom, 22 bodies of the girls were found in a human chain.
“The bodies were retrieved from the debris over eight hours of strenuous effort by relatives, neighbours and teachers,” Asif told the media.
The entire town was shrouded in smoke.
“It was a painful, unforgettable moment for everyone – we kept pulling out bodies,” says Karim
According to Karim, all citizens of the town were busy in relief work. There was so much commotion that it was difficult to even confirm who was alive and who had perished – a senior teacher had to confirm student deaths after re-checking multiple times.
Still alive, but not okay
The number of injured greatly exceeded those that had perished, and their condition was deplorable.
“We couldn’t even provide them with first aid, not even with simple painkillers tablets,” narrates Karim. “There was shortage of food and water.”
According to his rough estimation, around 200 girls were present in the seminary, and the majority of those were injured. Most of the dead were buried without informing their parents. “How could we approach them or wait for their arrival? Destruction was everywhere – a lot of the parents were dead and injured, too,” recalls Karim.
More help, please
Karim fears that many of the injured students may die if they are not helped soon. Even on Thursday, no proper rescue work had started in the area.
Today, Karim is contacting madrassa teachers and students in Karachi to help.
He claims that not a single official or public representative has reached the two seminaries as yet.
According to the locals, four seminaries collapsed because of the quake, killing over 70 students.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2013.
When the earthquake struck on Tuesday, it took seconds for the three-room Jamia Hafsa al Banaat, an Islamic seminary for girls, to come crashing down in Mashkey. At least 26 students were killed on the spot, and dozens others injured.
“Everything collapsed within the blink of an eye,” recalls Hafiz Abdul Karim, a teacher at Madrassa Anwarul Uloom, a seminary for boys near Jamia Hafsa. “There was no place in the graveyard, so we buried the students in front of their classrooms. We had no other option.”
Karim left the area to come to Karachi on Thursday, for treatment of his wounds.
A chaotic aftermath
“My fellow students and I came out of the classrooms and could hardly walk,” says Karim. “We just sat down in fear.”
According to Hafiz Asif, head of the Anwarul Aloom, 22 bodies of the girls were found in a human chain.
“The bodies were retrieved from the debris over eight hours of strenuous effort by relatives, neighbours and teachers,” Asif told the media.
The entire town was shrouded in smoke.
“It was a painful, unforgettable moment for everyone – we kept pulling out bodies,” says Karim
According to Karim, all citizens of the town were busy in relief work. There was so much commotion that it was difficult to even confirm who was alive and who had perished – a senior teacher had to confirm student deaths after re-checking multiple times.
Still alive, but not okay
The number of injured greatly exceeded those that had perished, and their condition was deplorable.
“We couldn’t even provide them with first aid, not even with simple painkillers tablets,” narrates Karim. “There was shortage of food and water.”
According to his rough estimation, around 200 girls were present in the seminary, and the majority of those were injured. Most of the dead were buried without informing their parents. “How could we approach them or wait for their arrival? Destruction was everywhere – a lot of the parents were dead and injured, too,” recalls Karim.
More help, please
Karim fears that many of the injured students may die if they are not helped soon. Even on Thursday, no proper rescue work had started in the area.
Today, Karim is contacting madrassa teachers and students in Karachi to help.
He claims that not a single official or public representative has reached the two seminaries as yet.
According to the locals, four seminaries collapsed because of the quake, killing over 70 students.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2013.