A magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck Afghanistan’s western Herat province, the third after the powerful earthquakes since 8 October that killed more than 2,000 people.
The earthquake occurred just after 8 a.m. on Sunday, the epicentre was located 33 km north-west of the city of Herat, the capital of the western province of the same name. A magnitude 5.5 aftershock followed 20 minutes later, according to The United States Geological Survey.
Many residents in the area were reportedly still sleeping outside on Sunday, fearing their homes would collapse and be trapped under rubble. And shortly after the earthquake, dust storms began, which only exacerbated the situation and damaged the tents where people were living.
“Herat’s people are panicked and scared,” AFP quoted 27-year-old shopkeeper Hamid Nizami as saying. “It’s Allah’s blessing that it happened during the day, people were awake.”
Nearly 20,000 people have been affected by the string of disasters, with women and children making up most of the deaths, says the World Health Organization.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, many volunteers had to dig up survivors and dead bodies with their bare hands.
The Taliban, who came to power in August 2021, have some difficulties in providing aid because the country has humanitarian problems itself and does not have a strong relationship with international humanitarian organizations. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsened after many countries withdrew foreign aid.
