One week ago, Raoof Safi started getting a flood of messages to his phone, with news of an earthquake some 7,000km away.
Having lived in Ireland for 17 years, he and his family now call Roscrea in Co Tipperary home.
But he is originally from the Noorgal District in Kunar province in Afghanistan, which was devastated by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake at around a 11.45pm local time on 31 August.
The earthquake killed thousands of people and injured thousands more, Taliban authorities said, making it one of the deadliest in decades to hit the impoverished country.
"Friends and family back home, they rang me about the earthquake," Mr Safi said.
He said: "People just told me that, first they hear a deep rumbling sound and after that, the ground began to shake, and the people, the houses made of mud and stone started to collapse immediately, and people had no or little time to escape.
"It was terrifying to know that, while they were in danger, I was so far away."
In the days that followed, Mr Safi learned that members of his extended family were among the dead.
"My immediate family is here in Ireland, but my extended family are still in Afghanistan and very much affected by the recent earthquake," Mr Safi said.
"About five days ago, I had a figure of 38 (fatalities), but it's gone to 50 ... unfortunately, it is rising day by day," Mr Safi said.
"Friends and family are constantly sending us videos and it's heartbreaking to see the places where I grew up, the places where we used to play ... there is a total destruction," he added.
RTÉ News spoke to two members of Mr Safi's extended family still in Afghanistan, who have been in regular contact with him.
One of them is Sangar Hashimi, who was originally from the Noorgal District, but is now living in Kabul.
The Vice President of 1TV Media insisted on returning to his home region as a journalist to report from the remotest areas hit by the earthquake, which could only be accessed on foot, and some of the stories he shared were very personal to him.
"One of my cousins lost five of his family members, four sons and one daughter and his mother was very badly injured," Mr Hashimi told RTÉ News.
As well as interviewing his cousin, Mr Hashimi spoke to a man who lost 14 family members and he filmed the mass grave in which they were buried.
He also interviewed a young girl who was the sole survivor in her family and he spoke to a woman who had not been able to recover two of her children's bodies from beneath the rubble.
"So it really made me emotional and I cried a lot ... when I came back to my home, my family, my sisters and brothers and parents, they were watching these reports and they were crying a lot because this was our own village," Mr Hashimi said.
For Abdul Hadi Sarwari, Noorgal District remains home.
His house in Bar Noorgal village was damaged in the earthquake and amid ongoing aftershocks he and his family are now living in open fields on his uncle's farm.
On the farm they have been joined by his parents, his three brothers and their families. They were all left homeless by the earthquake.
"Together we are 22 people who live here in my uncle's fields," Mr Sawari said, adding that many more are living in similar circumstances.
"All the people left their houses and now they live in fields," he said.
"Most people don't have any tent or shelter. There are some trees left and so they sit under the trees," he added.
Mr Sarwari said their "house is lost", adding "we will not be able to live there. We will demolish our house and after that we will make a new one".
Back in Roscrea, their cousin is concerned about what comes next for the thousands of people left homeless by the earthquake.
"It's been a week now since the major earthquakes hit that area, but the aftershocks are still there," Mr Safi said.
He said the winter season in Afghanistan, "particularly in that area, it's very severe", adding "it gets very, very, very cold and the children, the elderly people are living in tents and open fields, I think is going to be a very, very difficult for them".
Mr Safi said: "Behind these statistics, there is real families, real children, real stories of survival.
"I feel a responsibility living in Ireland to become the voice of the people whose voice cannot be heard."
