I fell unconscious for a moment, the shock of the explosion having stunned me. When I opened my eyes, however, all I could see was dust—dust as thick as you could possibly imagine—all round me. It filled the air like thick smoke, and I could hardly breathe and could not see past a few feet in front of me. I was hearing ringing in my ears, and my head was pounding, but I could barely think. I coughed and caught the dust, and gradually I started moving.

I threw away the rubble on top ...