THE death toll from earthquakes in western Afghanistan’s Herat and neighboring provinces has risen to 2,445, according to a CCTV report citing Herat authorities.
Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted Afghanistan on Saturday.
The first tremor occurred at around 11:10 local time. Malawi Musa Ashari, Herat’s Provincial Director for the National Disaster Management Authority, said that the most affected area is the Zinda Jan District in Herat, where 13 villages have been utterly destroyed.
“When the quake struck this morning (Oct 7), we ran out of home. We left our house and took refuge in our relative’s place. The situation is very distressing. I hope the government and the international organizations can help residents affected by the disaster as quickly as possible,” according to Atiqullah, local resident, Herat.
In Zinda Jan District, collapsed houses are seen everywhere.
Fearing for the aftershocks, local residents have been evacuating to outdoor areas.
Although the rescue work is underway, many rescuers had to dig through the rubble with bare hands in search of survivors due to the lack of equipment.
Earlier on Sunday, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Mullah Janan Shaeq, said more than 9,200 people had been injured during the quakes.
“This morning (Oct 7), there have been several violent earthquakes in Herat and its neighboring region. Due to the quakes, our dearest people have lost their lives and suffered from economic loss. After the disaster, people from all walks of life are lending a helping hand to the people affected by the earthquakes,” Nesar Ahmad Elyas, Spokesman, Herat Governor said.
This tragedy marks one of the deadliest earthquakes that occurred this year following the devastation in Turkey and Syria.
The Afghan interim government said they have dispatched military and service groups to Herat to engage in emergency rescue operations.
They will also take urgent measures to provide shelter and food for the displaced people in affected areas.
