The death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue after the magnitude 6.3 earthquake.
A very strong earthquake and then even stronger aftershocks happened in western Afghanistan. Local leaders say more than 100 people have died. The United Nations is worried that more people might be found dead as they keep looking for survivors.
The big shake, with a power of 6.3, hit about 40 kilometers (or 24 miles) to the west of the city Herat around 11 in the morning on Saturday. After that, there were more strong shakes felt in nearby Badghis and Farah provinces.
A report from the United Nations office that helps with emergencies said that there might be around 320 people who have died, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The UN office also mentioned that both helpers and local leaders expect the number of people hurt or killed to go up. This is because they’re still looking for people in buildings that fell down.
In the city of Herat, a person named Abdul Shakor Samadi said there was a big shake, and then about five more strong shakes around noon on Saturday.
“Everyone left their houses,” Samadi said. “No one is in their homes, and people are worried about more shakes. My family and I were inside our house, and I felt the shake.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the big shake started about 40 kilometers to the northwest of Herat city. After that, there were three very strong aftershakes, measuring 6.3, 5.9, and 5.5 in power, along with some smaller ones.
The spokesperson for the disaster authority, Mohammad Abdullah Jan, mentioned that the big shake and the following strong shakes broke houses in four villages in the Zenda Jan district of Herat province. They also heard about a lot of houses getting damaged in the provinces of Farah and Badges.
The World Health Organization in Afghanistan sent 12 ambulances to Zenda Jan to take injured people to hospitals. They’re trying to help as more and more reports of people hurt or killed in the earthquake come in.
The UN agency said that teams are in hospitals helping to treat the injured and figuring out what else might be needed. Ambulances supported by the WHO are taking the affected people, many of whom are women and children, to get medical help.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, who the Taliban picked to help with economic matters, gave his sympathies to the people who got hurt or died in Herat and Badghis.
The Taliban are telling local groups to go quickly to the places hit by the earthquake. They want them to take the injured people to the hospital, give shelter to those who lost their homes, and provide food for the survivors. They’re also saying that the security teams should use everything they have to rescue anyone stuck in the fallen buildings.
The Taliban are asking people who have a lot of money to please help out our fellow countrymen who are in trouble.
In June 2022, a very strong earthquake hit a rough, hilly area in eastern Afghanistan. It knocked down houses made of rocks and mud. This was the most deadly earthquake in Afghanistan in 20 years. It took the lives of at least 1,000 people and hurt around 1,500.
SOURCE:ALJAZEERA