Afghan Canadians unite to offer support following deadly earthquake
Afghans across Canada have gathered together to support one another and plan fundraisers as they scour the news for details about an earthquake that rocked their home country on Saturday, reportedly killing more than 2,000 people.
Farid Teimoury, vice-president of the Afghan Society of Calgary, said he feels helpless watching videos of the devastation wrought by the powerful earthquake in western Afghanistan from more than 10,000 kilometres away in Alberta.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the Â鶹´«Ã½ App
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from Â鶹´«Ã½, right at your fingertips
"It's a guilt that you have, right? You're not there to be able to help them out," Teimoury said Sunday.
"All the disasters that have happened, the fall of the government and the earthquake on top of that, and people being displaced ... it's hurtful, to be honest. And the most we can do is just gather up a couple of dollars and send it out, and hope for the best."
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicentre of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake was about 40 kilometres northwest of Herat, Afghanistan's fourth largest city. The quake hit at about 11 a.m. local time and was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.
Entire villages were flattened, bodies were trapped under collapsed houses and locals waited for help without even shovels to dig people out. Videos circulating on social media showed people scrambling to unearth others from beneath piles of rubble with their bare hands.
"It's horrible to see," Teimoury said.
He was part of a group of about 35 Afghans in Calgary who were gathered until late Saturday night to watch the news unfold. Several in the group, including Teimoury's wife, are from Herat province. Luckily, they've all been able to reach their family members and friends back home.
The group is meeting again on Sunday to work out the final details of a fundraiser, which it hopes to launch shortly, Teimoury said.
A Taliban government spokesman said the quake killed more than 2,000 people, but that figure had not been independently verified as of Sunday afternoon. If the toll is correct, the earthquake is among the deadliest to strike the country in two decades.
On the east coast of Canada, Afghans in Newfoundland were preparing to launch an online fundraiser through a crowdsourcing platform.
Maisam Najafizada, an assistant public health professor at Memorial Universty in St. John's, said Afghan Canadians in the city had begun sharing plans and information in a group chat. He has a friend with family near Herat who has not yet been able to contact them, he added.
It was "extremely difficult" to watch the videos surfacing online of the quake's aftermath, Najafizada said, noting that he found it particularly chilling to see so much rubble and an absence of any heavy equipment or machinery to help people dig through it.
"It shows the lack of resources and lack of co-ordination, communication or anything in the 24 hours that have passed so far," he said Sunday. "It's an absolute situation of absolute helplessness at the moment ... Hopefully, some help will arrive."
Nearly 97,000 people in Canada identified as Afghan in the 2021 census. The federal government says more than 39,000 refugees from Afghanistan have since arrived in Canada following the Taliban's takeover of the country in August 2021.
Melanie Joly, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, said in a social media post Saturday that her thoughts were with Afghans as they dealt with the destruction.
"Canada stands ready to support the Afghan people," she wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
As of Sunday, Global Affairs Canada said it was not aware of any Canadians missing or killed as a result of the quake. The agency said its registry of Canadians abroad listed 880 Canadians in Afghanistan, though it noted that registration is voluntary.
Ahmed Hussen, Canada's minister of international development, said Ottawa is closely monitoring the situation.
"As we continue to learn more about the devastating earthquake, our thoughts go out to the victims' family and loved ones," .
Doctors Without Borders said the quake did not cause any damage to the regional hospital in Herat, where the international medical aid charity operates the pediatric in-patient wards.
"When the first earthquake hit ... our teams rushed to evacuate all the children who were admitted, many in critical condition," Lisa Macheiner, project co-ordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Herat, said in an email.
"We've dispatched mass casualty kits to treat up to 400 wounded patients and stationed a medical team at the hospital's emergency room for further support if necessary."
The agency said on X that it had set up five medical tents at the hospital, where more than 300 patients had been treated as of Saturday afternoon.
With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Boy abducted from California in 1951 at age 6 found alive on East Coast more than 70 years later
Luis Armando Albino was six years old in 1951 when he was abducted while playing at an Oakland, Calif., park. Now, more than seven decades later, Albino has been found thanks to help from an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
Justin Trudeau to be guest on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' during New York visit
The prime minister's official itinerary says the interview will be shot during his trip to New York, where he is meeting with other world leaders ahead of the 78th gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.
An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.
Trudeau tells world leaders they 'have a responsibility' at UN Summit of the Future
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
John Mulaney and Olivia Munn have second child, a daughter named Mei
Comedian John Mulaney and actor Olivia Munn now have a second child, a daughter named Mei June Mulaney.
Air Canada union head says she'll resign if pilots reject deal
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.