‘I have people lighting candles and saying Mass’, says Irish woman trapped in Kabul

An Irish woman in Kabul is poised to leave the Afghanistan capital when the airport reopens, saying her family is “really worried” for her safety.

Aoife MacManus, from Co. Meath, has been in the Afghan city for two years working in the primary education sector. She is one of a small number of Irish citizens still in Afghanistan and trying to flee from the Taliban.

Ms MacManus was in contact with her family back in Ireland, saying that “They’re really worried. They’ve been worried for the last couple of weeks.

“I have people lighting candles and saying Mass and all kinds of things. What can I say? I’m not in a normal situation,” she told the PA news agency.

There were horrifying scenes on Monday at Kabul Airport as Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital’s airport as thousands tried to escape the country.

Ms McManus said uncertainty was driving some of the fears: “There is a sense of panic and fear all over the city. It’s the fear of the worst expectations.”

She hopes she will be able to leave soon, once the security situation at the airport has settled down.