The crowding and rubble that slowed the passage of emergency vehicles fuelled the spread of flames through the temporary homes of the displaced.
Zuhair, a 36-year-old lawyer, had been sitting on a road near his own tent watching the news with friends as the twilight faded from the sky, when an explosion shook the area at about 8.45pm. He raced towards the sound, terrified for his wife, children and friends.
"I saw bodies everywhere. Children burning. I saw heads without bodies, the injured running around in pain, some alive but trapped inside burning tents."
There had been no warning, and for many long minutes, there was no help. At first, he said, people tried to drag the injured from tents with their bare hands, loading them on to donkey carts or cramming them into cars to seek help.
Sharif Warsh Agha, a driver, was among the crowds trying to help. He stepped around bodies burned and mutilated by the explosion and the fires that followed.
"I heard a woman screaming for help for her sister. When I went into the tent, I found her seriously injured in the foot and her mother lying dead next to her," he said.
He did basic first aid, got her to the car, then someone called to say his young nephew had lost his feet.
"I turned the car around to get my injured nephew but when we started moving someone was brought to me with an open chest wound. We put him in too," he said. Nine people were loaded into the small car, with some in the boot.
Agha had been with his family in their tent resting after the Maghrib twilight prayer when a red flash and an explosion ripped the night apart.
Black smoke and a deadly hail of shrapnel followed, then the sound of screaming.
Denne historien er fra May 30, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 30, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Frozen pensions War Veteran says she lost out on £50,000
Anne Puckridge is travelling 4,400 miles on a mission to persuade the government to right a 'cruel' pensions policy, as Rupert Jones reports
Money hacks How to buy preloved items to give as Christmas gifts
Buying preloved often requires more thought and preparation than buying new, so make time to find the perfect gift.
The Filter Best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free
Stuart Andrews trialled the most powerful robot vacuums - some of which even mop your floors - and these are the ones he rates
Checkatrade How do rogue traders get past its checks?
The site says its tradespeople are 'guaranteed', but some customers say they have lost thousands after using it. Anna Tims reports
End of road Vauxhall workers in shock over plant closure
\"I don't have anything good to say about this place right now,\" someone shouts, as workers flood out of the front gates of the Vauxhall van plant on Luton's Kimpton Road.
Hybrid car sales could be permitted until 2035 to ease all-electric transition
Car manufacturers may be allowed to sell Toyota Prius-style hybrid models in the UK until 2035, as the government looks at ways to loosen electric vehicle sales rules.
Royal Mail falling further behind with delivery targets
Royal Mail has failed to deliver about a quarter of first-class post on time in recent months as its delivery performance continues to decline amid an investigation for missing its targets.
'Dirty money' Why people of all ages are investing in crypto
Miles, a 37-year-old NHS doctor from London, has been trying for years to persuade friends to buy cryptocurrencies.
Work Minister's plan to transform the job market
\"This is why I love jobcentres: because they're intensely hopeful places.\" The employment minister, Alison McGovern, has spent half an hour perched on a desk in an office block in Hoxton, east London, hearing from a group of job coaches.
Shoppers bag Black Friday gifts online but in-store sales lag
UK shoppers visited websites in droves to snap up Black Friday bargains, raising hopes the US-inspired promotional day would finally kick-start a festive spending spree.