Afghan authorities on Wednesday presented a new death toll following the earthquake that struck the country last Saturday, bringing the official toll to more than 1,000.
ALSO READ:
New earthquake in Afghanistan brings the number of injured to 153
The figure was confirmed by Health Minister Qalandar Ebad, who attributed the discrepancies in records to possible double counting by emergency services.
According to the official, Saturday’s earthquake affected more than 12,000 people and injured 2,400; Meanwhile, a new earthquake struck this Wednesday near Herat, also with a magnitude of 6.3, causing one death and 130 injuries.
�� The death toll from the October 7 Afghanistan earthquake has been revised to “over 1,000” from an original figure of 2,053.
Health Minister Qalandar Ebad attributes the discrepancies to double counting in rescue efforts. More than 12,000 people were affected by the quake and 2.4 thousand were injured. A new quake near Herat claimed one death,… pic.twitter.com/a6Hs43V644
– BREAKING NEWS (@breakingnews430)
October 11, 2023
Herat Regional Hospital director Abdul Zahir Noorzai said those injured in the new earthquake were outside their homes and were hit by debris from the ruins.
For its part, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that Wednesday’s earthquake was followed by two aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 and 4.1 in the city of Herat, home to half a million people.
Since last weekend, many residents of the region have been spending the night outside their homes, fearing new earthquakes and the destruction of many villages.