A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Herat, west of Afghan territory, with aftershocks that equaled the intensity of the first earthquake. The city’s Ministry of Health reports at least 16 fatalities as a result of the incident, although they also highlighted the difficulties in entering the remote areas of the city, the most affected by the earthquakes. So the death toll could be much higher. In fact, local media and the UN report victims in the hundreds.
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The United States Geological Survey reported that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred about 40 kilometers from the city, also detecting at least seven aftershocks that ended up collapsing multiple buildings and houses in the town. In addition, the city’s health agency reports on at least 45 injured people who are already being transferred and treated in nearby hospitals, although “the number could change.”
On the other hand, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has reported at least 100 deaths in eight towns surrounding the city, in addition to counting at least 500 injuries due to the damage to the infrastructure caused by said natural phenomenon.
“While deaths and injuries from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting in the treatment of the injured and assessing additional needs,” the World Health Organization, part of the United Nations system, said in a statement. X’s account of his mission in Afghanistan.
As deaths & casualties from the #earthquake in #Herat@Afghanistan continue to be reported, @QUIEN Teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs. @QUIEN-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children. pic.twitter.com/UoDoG7nPa2
— WHO Afghanistan (@WHOAfghanistan) October 7, 2023
The Red Crescent elements are already deployed in the vicinity of the city to help those affected. The Taliban Government has urgently called on local organizations to mobilize in support of the victims, also appealing to the solidarity of citizens.
“We ask our rich compatriots to provide all possible cooperation and help to our grieving brothers,” the Taliban said in a statement posted on their X account.
“We are all in the street”
Communication lines in Herat were down due to damage to the city’s infrastructure, making it extremely difficult to maintain a clear and quick count of those affected in surrounding areas. Videos circulating on social networks show destroyed houses, streets full of debris and city residents frightened by the possibility of a new earthquake.
“The houses, offices and shops are empty and it is feared that there will be more earthquakes. My family and I were at home and I felt the earthquake,” explained Abdul Shakor Samadi, a resident of Herat, for the ‘AP’ agency.
Afghanistan is once again experiencing a lethal earthquake, remembering the one that occurred in June 2022, which left around 1,000 dead and more than 1,500 injured. One of the worst natural disasters in Afghanistan in two decades.
With Reuters and AP
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