ISLAMABAD: At least 320 were reported dead and another 1,000 wounded in Afghanistan earthquake, according to disaster management authority spokesman.
Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes hit western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country’s national disaster authority told media.
The body of child taken out from the rubble of a collapsed house in today’s devastating earthquake causing casualties and financial losses in Herat and Badghis provinces of Afghanistan.
🚨 BREAKING: At least 320 people have tragically lost their lives, and over 500 are injured following multiple earthquakes in Afghanistan.
Our hearts go out to all those affected by this devastating event. #AfghanistanEarthquakes #StayStrong #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/wRkHrWMb7s
— TheAfronomist (@TheAfronomist) October 7, 2023
The United Nations gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead, but later said the figure was still being verified. Local authorities gave an estimate of 100 people killed and 500 injured, according to the same update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quakes and aftershocks. Dozens of houses have been damaged.
The United States Geological Survey reported the 6.3 magnitude tremblors. It said the epicenter was 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city. There was an aftershock with a 5.5 magnitude.
An aerial view of the scale of damages in today’s earthquake hitting Herat and Badghis provinces of Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/yOCWUIcqx0
— أبونصرت هلمندی (@Abonasrath2) October 7, 2023
A map on the USGS website indicates seven earthquakes in the area. At least five powerful earthquakes struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said.
“All people are out of their homes,” Samadi said. “Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. My family and I were inside our home, I felt the quake.” His family began shouting and ran outside, afraid to return indoors.
The World Health Organization in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan to evacuate casualties to hospitals.
“As deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs,” the U.N. agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children.”
