Afghanistan: Death toll due to earthquake touches 2060, rescue operations continue

So far, 900 people were reportedly injured in the quake.

Abdulwahid Ryan, the head of the Ministry of Information and Culture of Herat Province, told Khaama Press that the latest figures for earthquake casualties in Herat are close to 3,000 people.

With its epicentre located  40 kilometres northwest of the city of Herat, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Saturday.

Bilal Karimi, the deputy spokesperson for the Taliban administration, also reported that more than 1,000 people have died in this earthquake, and hundreds of others have been injured, reports Khaama Press.

Afghanistan, a country which has seen several years of war and the capturing of power by Taliban forces in 2021, experiences frequent earthquakes.

The earthquakes are mostly reported from the Hindu Kush mountain range as it lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Meanwhile, rescue workers are trying hard to pull out people trapped under rubble.

In total, 4,200 people, or about 600 families, are assessed to have been affected to date, including 1,400 internally displaced persons,  UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said.

Coordinating with the de-facto authorities, including the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Food Programme (WFP), and other aid agencies deployed five emergency assessment teams as part of an initial response.

Humanitarian partners have initiated relief efforts, deploying medical and trauma support to regional hospitals alongside emergency shelter, food, supplies, and assistance to people in affected areas.