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Postcard from Kabul

Below is apart of an email postcard from Chris in Kabul (23 Oct)

" A number of people have enquired about the earthquake in Pakistan and its impacts here, so I thought that I would send another bulletin covering that and other aspects of life in the Afghan capital.

Earthquake
As you would be aware, there was an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale on 8 October that killed tens of thousands of people in Pakistan. The epicentre was around 400 km from Kabul.

I did not hear of any fatalities here in Kabul, however, we certainly felt it“ as one of the longest and strongest earthquakes that I have experienced in my time in Kabul. I was working at my desk and I noticed it immediately. I waited to see if it would subside, but it didn’t, so I decided that I should evacuate. I found the stairwell crowded with staff fleeing the building. We waited outside for around 15 minutes to be sure that it had finished. I then went back up to my desk only to have to vacate the building a few minutes later when an aftershock occurred. This time when we returned to the office, we found some rather large cracks, including a long crack across the main entrance to the office, on both sides of the doorway. It was most alarming.

There were some aftershocks in the days that followed, including one in the middle of the night. I was shaken but did not stir; I heard about it the following morning.

Security
In addition to the earthquake, there have been some unfortunate incidents here of late, including a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed 9 people, and some rockets that were fired into the city, injuring one person. There is also the constant threat of kidnapping and such. Around 1400 people have been killed around the country this year alone, most of them insurgents. It is a bit concerning, as things had been very quiet here for months prior to my arrival.
 
Nevertheless, people go about their lives and continue their work, on a heightened state of alert. I read recently that there are 10,000 expatriates working in Kabul at present. So while it may seem insane to live in a place with such dangers, there are 9,999 people here just as crazy as I am; which makes me feel a little better."

Chris
(posting by Age)