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This is Maya Ben’s description of the day the earthquake hit.
“When the earthquake hit, I was in school taking part in the Independence Day celebrations. We were praying right outside the school building when we heard a loud noise,” says Maya Ben. “Within a few seconds the earth started swaying and shaking. We were falling on top of each other. We tried running towards our village. I fell over so many times I couldn’t keep count.”
Most of the buildings in the village were totally destroyed in the quake. |
Luckily all the children were outside for the Independence Day celebrations, so no-one died when the school building collapsed.
“There was so much dust,” continues Maya Ben, “that I couldn’t see anything. After shaking for a while, I heard the school building collapse with a loud crashing sound. I was fortunate that my brother Rashik came along with me to school to watch the Independence Day celebrations. We were running together clutching each other’s hand. I was thinking that we should reach home as fast as we could.”
Just one wall of Maya Ben's old house still stands, but the family have been able to build a new one nearby. |
“When we reached home, I saw that the door of our house had fallen. I was wondering what had happened to my parents. The earth was still shaking – I could hardly stand still.”
Maya’s grandmother had been in the kitchen doing the dishes, and her mother was washing clothes. When they heard the quake’s first rumble, they ran for the courtyard, just in time to avoid the falling wall of the house.
“Just a few seconds more and I would have been buried in the rubble,” says Maya’s mother. “As soon as I saw my children, my heart was tremendously relieved.”
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