‘Covered in dust and too shocked to speak’: Afghan villagers reel at scale of quake’s devastation
A devastating earthquake struck northern Afghanistan, leaving villagers in shock and mourning the widespread destruction of their homes and livelihoods. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.5, hit the remote region on Monday morning, affecting several villages in the mountainous terrain.
Residents in the affected areas, such as the village of Barpak, described being “covered in dust and too shocked to speak” as they emerged from the rubble of their collapsed homes. The scale of the devastation is still being assessed, but early reports suggest significant damage to infrastructure and a tragic loss of life. Rescue efforts are underway to search for survivors and provide aid to those in need.
Local authorities have expressed deep concern over the situation, highlighting the challenges posed by the rugged terrain and limited access to the affected areas. The Afghan government has requested assistance from international organizations to support the rescue and relief operations in the aftermath of the quake.
The earthquake has once again underscored the vulnerability of communities in seismically active regions and the need for robust disaster preparedness and response mechanisms. As the affected villagers begin to comprehend the extent of the damage, questions are being raised about the long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts that will be required to help them rebuild their lives.
The full impact of the earthquake is yet to be fully understood, but one thing is clear – the road to recovery will be long and arduous for the villagers grappling with the aftermath of this natural disaster.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “‘Covered in dust and too shocked to speak’: Afghan villagers reel at scale of quake’s devastation”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.