Key Points
- Two powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquakes followed by strong aftershocks struck western Afghanistan on Saturday.
- The death toll has risen to 2,060, a Taliban government spokesman says.
- Reportedly, around six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris.
The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to 2,060, a Taliban government spokesman says.
The earthquakes and aftershocks were the deadliest to strike the country in two decades.
Two powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquakes followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country’s national disaster authority said.
Taliban ministry spokesperson says death toll far higher than originally reported
But Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said the death toll from the earthquake in Herat was higher than originally reported.
About six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said while calling for urgent help.
Hundreds of houses have been reported destroyed or damaged.
“Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings,” the United Nations said.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was about 40km northwest of Herat city.
It was followed by three very strong aftershocks measuring magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5, as well as lesser shocks.
Disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quake and aftershocks.
World Health Organisation dispatches assistance to affected region
The World Health Organisation in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan to transport people to hospitals.
“As deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs,” the UN agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children.”
Multiple earthquakes struck western Afghanistan’s Herat province on 7 October 2023. Source: AP / Rodrigo Abd / AP
Telephone connections went down in Herat, making it hard to get details from affected areas.
Videos on social media showed hundreds of people in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat city. Herat province borders Iran.
The quake also was felt in the nearby Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, local media reported.
Taliban urges speedy assistance
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, expressed his condolences to the dead and injured in Herat and Badghis.
The Taliban urged local organisations to reach earthquake-hit areas as soon as possible to help take the injured to hospital, provide shelter for the homeless, and deliver food to survivors.
They said security agencies should use all their resources and facilities to rescue people trapped under debris.
“We ask our wealthy compatriots to give any possible co-operation and help to our afflicted brothers,” the Taliban said on X.
In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes, killing at least a thousand people and injuring about 1,500.
