Hundreds dead, wounded in Herat quakes

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok) More than 30 people have been killed and over 600 others injured in wave of earthquakes in western Herat province, local officials say.

However, the UN said more than 320 people had been killed and hundreds feared wounded in the earthquakes on Saturday.

A dozen villages in Zinda Jan and Ghorian districts were flattened as a result of the temblors, authorities said.

Janan Saiq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management, said at least 15 people in three villages of Zinda Jan district had died and nearly 40 others had been injured in the tragedy.

In a video clip, he said some houses in Farah and Badghis provinces had also been damaged.

AP quoted a witness as saying the strong earthquake was followed by several aftershocks in western Afghanistan.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), six earthquakes occurred in western Afghanistan — the largest one was at a magnitude of 6.3.

The latest earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred at a depth of 7.7 km in Zinda Jan district, it added.

The quake was also felt in the nearby provinces of Farah and Badghis, local media reported.

Some organisations, including WHO and the Iran Embassy in Kabul, expressed condolences and promised aid p the victims.

According to the United Nations, at least 320 people have been killed in the aftermath of the seismic events, said The Guardian.

Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, situated near the convergence of Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. A powerful quake struck the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan in June 2022 killing over 1,000 people and injuring approximately 1,500.

jhk/mud