Kabul, 10 October, 2023(GNP): More than 2,000 people died in western Afghanistan as a result of a severe earthquake and its aftershocks, according to local authorities. The UN has issued a warning that this number might climb as search and rescue efforts continue.
At around 11 a.m. on Saturday (06:30 GMT), a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the city of Herat. Severe aftershocks were recorded in the nearby provinces of Badghis and Farah.
According to the Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority, 2,053 verified deaths and 9,249 injuries have occurred. The earthquake has partially or completely damaged more than 1,300 homes.
According to the UN Humanitarian, at least 11,585 people were affected by the powerful earthquake in Afghanistan.
At least 11,585 people have been affected by the powerful earthquake that struck #Afghanistan's #Herat province.
Humanitarians are ramping up response efforts, providing medical services, emergency shelter, food, water and protection.
Latest Update: https://t.co/0dzwZh6XWk pic.twitter.com/Xgl75cBoCS
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) October 9, 2023
According to the United States Geological Survey, The earthquake’s epicenter was located around 40 kilometers to the northwest of Herat city.
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Disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said that the quake and aftershocks damaged homes in four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province. There were also reports of widespread damage to houses in the Farah and Badges provinces.
Twelve ambulances were sent to Zenda Jan by the World Health Organization in Afghanistan to transport injured people to medical facilities. Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic matters appointed by the Taliban, sent his condolences to the families of the victims and injured in Herat and Badghis.
The Taliban urged local organizations 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 cooperation and help to our afflicted brothers,” the Taliban said.
In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. The quake was Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500.
