People in quake-hit Afghanistan use shovels, bare hands to pull out victims

A man looks over the rubble after the earthquake in the Zenda Jan district of Herat province in western Afghanistan [Omid Haqjoo/AP Photo]

Volunteers and rescue workers in quake-hit Afghanistan say they are forced to use shovels and even their bare hands to look for victims and survivors.

“There is no modern equipment nor trained search and rescue teams. This could result in a rise in casualties. If we don’t urgently receive advanced and trained rescue teams in the area soon, we will see an increase in the loss of lives that could have been avoided,” Sabir, a rescue worker in western Afghanistan’s Herat province, told Al Jazeera on Sunday.