Photo courtesy U.N. IOM
At least 2,400 people were killed in Afghanistan’s Herat province after several earthquakes hit the country late on Saturday, with authorities fearing the toll will rise amidst ongoing rescue operations.
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Disasters told the Reuters news agency that 2,445 people had perished thus far, adding a little over 2,000 others had been injured. “Unfortunately, the casualties are practically very high,” deputy government spokesman Bilal Karimi told media early on Sunday. He said 1,328 houses were flattened after eight powerful aftershocks from the 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook the region 30 kilometers northwest of Herat.
Amidst the mounting toll, there is a shortage of food, drinking water, medicine, clothes and tents for rescue and relief, announced Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, urging for the global community to provide support. The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, reported over 600 houses were destroyed or partially damaged across at least 12 villages of Herat province, affecting 4,200 people. It also warned that “the number of casualties is expected to rise as search and rescue operations are ongoing.”
The disaster occurs as Afghanistan already faces a dire humanitarian crisis following the widespread withdrawal of foreign aid following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Over the past year, the war-torn country has been hit by drought, hampering agriculture, and has also continued to face economic difficulties as the U.S. refuses to release funds of its central bank.
In a statement, Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar offered his condolences and said Islamabad stood in solidarity with Afghans during this difficult time. He said he had instructed the National Disaster Management Authority to send maximum support to the affected. “Afghanistan government has specifically asked for sending medical team, field hospital, 50 tents and 500 blankets. On my instructions—in addition to the relief goods—all the requested items are being dispatched in the afternoon today, with more relief goods to follow,” he said in posting on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.