An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck western Afghanistan on Wednesday, as per the US Geological Survey. The earthquake hit an area where more than 2,000 people were killed after a similar tremor at the weekend. USGS said that the quake occurred at a shallow depth at around 05:10 am local time (00:40 GMT), with its epicentre about 29 kilometres north of the city of Herat.
The latest earthquake came days after an earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday. As per the US Geological Survey (USGS), six earthquakes occurred in western Afghanistan on Saturday, and the largest one was at a magnitude of 6.3.
On Sunday, a Taliban spokesperson said that the death toll from a series of earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan had reached 2,000. The Ministry of Information and Culture spokesman, Abdul Wahid Rayan had said that the death toll of Herat is higher than what was reported. A total of six villages have been destroyed adding that hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said while calling for urgent help.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake’s epicentre was about 40 kilometres (25 miles) 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. At least five strong tremors struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said.
Videos from Herat were almost apocalyptic, houses were completely destroyed and many people were seen bringing their loved ones out of the rubble. 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.
A resident of Zenda Jan district told the news outlet that villages were completely destroyed and that hundreds of people are under the rubble. He further said that the roads in the villages were destroyed as well, according to The Guardian. “I can tell you only 50 people are alive in the village of my relatives,” Dawood added. “More than 400 people were living there until this morning. A catastrophe is unfolding here.
The 600-bed Herat regional hospital was filled with injured people and the staff were also forced to treat people outside the hospital, according to The Guardian.