A 6.3 magnitude earthquake happened in Herat on Saturday morning, claiming at least 20 lives and injuring 50 others, according to Musa Ashari, the head of the Taliban’s disaster management department for Herat.
Other reports say, the casualties could rise soon as searches for missing people under the rubble of buildings and houses are underway. It is also reported that more than 100 injured people have been taken to hospitals so far.
The first earthquake struck on Saturday at 11:00 Qala-e-Naw in central Badghis province and the city of Herat in Afghanistan with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale, the second one 6.3 earthquake happened four hours later, the third tremor was so strong that it was felt in neighbouring countries such as Iran and Turkmenistan.
There were various kinds of tremors, 5.5 occurred at 11:20 am at a depth of 11 km in Zinda Jan area in Herat, another with a magnitude of 4.7 occurred at 11:40 am at a depth of 10 km in the same area, another one occurred at 11:42 am, had a magnitude of 6.3 and was at a depth of 10 km.
Power supply was disrupted throughout the city due to seismic activity, government offices were closed, universities, schools, border customs were also out of operation. People are evacuating and seeking shelter on the streets.
For the time being, the situation is getting better and there are no reports of casualties or significant damage.
