The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan on October 7 has risen to over 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said. As many as 1,200 people were wounded and over 1,300 homes completely destroyed.
It has been reported as one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades.
Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban government spokesman, quoted the natural disaster management authority as saying that 2,053 people had lost their lives and 1,240 more wounded.
The Taliban urged local rescue organizations to quickly reach earthquake-hit areas and help take the injured to hospital, provide shelter for the homeless and deliver food to quake victims.
More than 2,000 people were killed and over 9,000 injured as powerful earthquakes jolted Afghanistan's Herat and other western provinces on Saturday, government sources said on Sunday. #AfghanistanEarthquake pic.twitter.com/NyyTaQEdbO
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) October 8, 2023
Maulvi Musa Ashari, the Disaster Management Authority head, told local media that the earthquake had razed 12 villages and wounded 600 people in the two districts.
Most affected regions
Most of the casualties were reported in Zinda Jan and Ghorian districts of the province.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake, followed by strong aftershocks, jolted Herat and neighbouring provinces on Saturday.
There were reports of a series of seven earthquakes ranging from 4.7 to 6.3 magnitudes that struck the western Afghan province of Herat on Saturday.
The first and largest quake struck at 12:11am at a depth of 14 km and was located 33 km from the city of Zindah Jan in the western province.
The United States Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake 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.
The World Health Organization in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan to evacuate casualties to hospitals.
The United Nations gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead, but later said the figure was still being verified.
A situation report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that there were unconfirmed estimates that as many as 320 people had died. “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 OCHA said.