Shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake kills at least 2,000 in west Afghanistan - aftershock of equal magnitude (UPDATES)

Dawn
Sat, 07 Oct 2023 10:51 UTC

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Saturday causing one death and dozens of injuries, officials said, predicting the toll could rise amid reports of landslides and building collapses.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the region's largest city of Herat, and was followed by five aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7, 6.3, 5.9 and 4.6.

Crowds of residents and shopkeepers fled buildings in the city at around 11am (6:30am GMT) as the quakes began, causing 25 injuries and a single fatality, according to a Taliban government spokesman.

"We were in our offices and suddenly the building started shaking," 45-year-old Herat resident Bashir Ahmad told AFP.

"Wall plasters started to fall down and the walls got cracks, some walls and parts of the building collapsed." "I am not able to contact my family, network connections are disconnected. I am too worried and scared, it was horrifying," he said.

National Disaster Management Authority spokesman Mullah Jan Sayeq told AFP the initial toll was "preliminary" and he feared it would rise as "in the rural and mountainous areas there have been landslides as well".

"Currently, we don't have all the information and details," he said.

'Disaster potentially widespread'

Crowds of women and children stood out in the wide streets of Herat, away from tall buildings, in the moments after the first quake and aftershocks which continued for roughly one hour.

Hundreds of fatalities were possible, according to a USGS preliminary report.

"Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response," it said.

USGS had earlier reported the first quake's magnitude as 6.2. It had a shallow depth of just 14km, it said.

Herat — 120km east of the border with Iran — is considered the cultural capital of Afghanistan. It is the capital of Herat province which is home to an estimated population of 1.9 million, according to 2019 World Bank data.

In June last year, more than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless after a 5.9-magnitude quake — the deadliest in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century — struck the impoverished province of Paktika.

In March of this year, 13 people were killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by a magnitude 6.5 quake, which hit near Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan.

The country is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Afghanistan is already in the grip of a grinding humanitarian crisis, with the widespread withdrawal of foreign aid since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Comment: Update

Anadolu Ajansı reports:

At least 1,000 dead and injured in Afghanistan earthquake

At least 1,000 people were killed and injured in a series of earthquakes that hit the northwestern part of Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.

Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority's spokesman Mullah Janan Saiq said the death toll could further rise, adding that the tremors caused heavy damage in northwestern Herat and Badghis provinces.

"Three villages in Herat province were completely destroyed, hundreds of people are still trapped under the debris," Saiq told Anadolu over the phone.

He added that it was difficult to find the exact number of casualties, but so far the figure of 1,000 was reported by local officials.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), strong earthquakes of magnitude 5.5, 5.9, and 6.2 jolted the Afghan provinces. It said the epicenter was 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city.

The World Health Organization's Afghanistan office said its teams were in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded and assessing additional needs.

Update October 8

Al Jazeera reports:

Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises to 2,000: Taliban officials

The death toll from powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan has crossed 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson based in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were under way to save people trapped under the rubble in the wake of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Herat province.

Shaheen said there was an urgent need for tents, medical and food items in the areas hit by the disaster, as he appealed to local businessmen and NGOs to come forward to help people in need.

On Sunday, people attempted to dig out the dead and injured with their hands in Herat, clambering over rocks and debris. Survivors and victims were trapped under buildings that had crumbled to the ground, their faces grey with dust.

One video, shared online, shows people freeing a baby girl from a collapsed building after being buried up to her neck in debris. A hand is seen cradling the baby's torso as rescuers ease the child out of the ground. Rescuers said it was the baby's mother. It is not clear if the mother survived.

"Besides the 2,060 dead, 1,240 people are injured and 1,320 houses are completely destroyed," said Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesperson at the Ministry of Information and Culture.

About six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said, calling for urgent help.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 40km (24 miles) northwest of the city of Herat at about 11am on Saturday (06:30 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces.

A rescue volunteer, who did not want to be named, from Zenda Jan - the worst affected district located in Herat - said the search and rescue teams were not properly trained and lacked modern equipment.

"Unfortunately we have lost a lot of people in west of Herat in Zenda Jan and Ghorian districts," he said.

"The tragedy is very huge, we cannot define it to you in simple words. People are still trapped in the debris, they are alive, but we cannot reach them."

He urged the UN and other international organisations to provide Afghans with trained search and rescue teams, with modern equipment and rescue dogs to help find those still trapped inside.