KABUL (SW): Rests against a wall with his eyes gazing the ground while scratching the earth with a wood in his hand, Abdullah; a Kabul resident, has lost 12 of his beloved family members while crossing into Europe leaving him to pay the debts they acquired for the thorny journey.
His brother and 11 other members of the family have drowned while they wanted to cross the waters from Turkey to Greece in search of a better life. Earlier this week, he buried his 7 family members in Kabul, while the fate of five other members of the family is still unknown.
Abdullah told Salam Watandar that his brother had a shop, but he sold the shop before he left, and also borrowed one thousand dollars from his friends.
In addition, Abdullah paid 350 Euro each for the transfer of the dead bodies from Turkey to Kabul. He said that he had borrowed the money from friends and is now worried about paying it back.
It is worth mentioning that Abdullah is not the only person who is faced with such challenge. His uncle and cousins are also faced with the same problems.
Shabir, Abdullah`s relative who participated in the funeral of those drowned, said that this family lost the members due to lack of security in Afghanistan. He urged upon the government to take actions to put an end to the citizen’s miseries.
Muhammad Yosuf, another member of this family said with a broken heart that when he got information about this issue, he went to the Turkish Embassy several times to inquire more.
He added that after several attempts, they were asked to pay 350 Euro for the transportation of each dead body. It is worth mentioning that it is the first time that 12 members of a family have drown in such a way.
Based on reports, Afghan refugees make up the second largest group of applicants after Syrian immigrants in Europe, especially in Germany.
ENDS
