Afghanistan: Strong Earthquake, Aftershocks Leave Dozens Dead and Dozens More Hurt

Numerous people were murdered in western Afghanistan on Saturday as a result of a violent magnitude-6.3 earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks, according to the nation’s national disaster administration.

The United Nations first reported 320 deaths, but subsequently clarified that the number was still being confirmed. According to the same statement from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, local officials estimated that 100 people had died and 500 had been wounded.

The bulletin also said that an additional 135 homes had been damaged and 465 reported homes had been destroyed. The U.N. said that while search and rescue operations go on, “Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings.”

Four villages in the Zenda Jan district of Herat province, according to disaster authority spokeswoman Mohammad Abdullah Jan, took the brunt of the first earthquake and its aftershocks.

The epicenter of the earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey, was located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Herat city. Three very powerful aftershocks with magnitudes of 6.3, 5.9, and 5.5 were immediately followed by smaller shocks.

Around midday, at least five powerful earthquakes were felt in the city, according to Abdul Shakor Samadi, a local of Herat. All individuals have left their houses, according to Samadi. There are worries of more earthquakes, therefore all the homes, businesses, and retail spaces are deserted. I felt the earthquake when my family and I were inside our house. His family started yelling and fled outdoors for safety.

According to the World Health Organization in Afghanistan, 12 ambulances were sent to Zenda Jan to transport injured people to medical facilities.

Teams from the U.N. agency said on X, previously known as Twitter, that “as deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs.” Ambulances sponsored by the WHO are transferring the afflicted, the most of them are women and children.

In Herat, telephone lines failed, making it difficult to get information from the impacted districts. Hundreds of people were seen on the streets of Herat city in videos posted on social media.

Iran is bordered by Herat province. According to local media sources, the tremor was also felt in the neighbouring Afghan regions of Farah and Badghis.

The deputy prime minister for economic matters designated by the Taliban, Abdul Ghani Baradar, sent his condolences to the families of the dead and wounded in Herat and Badghis.

The Taliban advised neighborhood groups to go to earthquake-stricken regions as quickly as possible to assist in getting the wounded to hospitals, giving homeless people shelter, and bringing food to survivors. They advised security organizations to make use of all their equipment and resources to free anybody stuck behind rubble.

The Taliban declared on X, “We ask our wealthy compatriots to give any possible cooperation and help to our afflicted brothers.”

A strong earthquake that rocked a rough, hilly area of eastern Afghanistan in June 2022 destroyed dwellings made of mud and stone. With at least 1,000 fatalities and about 1,500 injuries, it was the worst earthquake to strike Afghanistan in 20 years.