At least 120 people died and dozens were injured in a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck western Afghanistan this Saturday (7), according to a new report from authorities. The number of victims could rise as landslides occur and there are victims under the rubble.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the epicenter of the earthquake was 40 km northwest of the region’s largest city, Herat. Then there were seven aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.6 and 6.3.
“Currently in our records there are more than a thousand injured women, children and elderly people and about 120 people have lost their lives,” Mosa Ashari, director of disaster management in Herat province, told AFP.
The tremors began at 11:00 a.m. (3:30 a.m. Brazilian time) and caused panic among the population, who fled the buildings.
“We were in our offices when the building suddenly started shaking and the wall panels fell down. The walls developed cracks and part of the building collapsed,” Bashir Ahmad, a 45yearold man, told AFP.
“I can’t contact my family, contacts and networks don’t work. I am worried and scared, it was scary,” he added.
The population sought refuge in wide streets, away from tall buildings. Many residents were cautious before returning to their homes.
Earlier, National Disaster Management Authority spokesman Mullah Jan Sayeq told AFP that the death toll was expected to “rise sharply.”
“There are some areas that have completely collapsed and all the houses are damaged,” he said. “There are still people buried under the rubble,” he added.
The USGS indicated in a preliminary report that there could be hundreds of deaths.
“It is likely that there will be a significant number of casualties and the disaster may be widespread,” the institute said.
Herat, 120 km east of the border with Iran, is the capital of the province of the same name, which is home to around 1.9 million people, according to 2019 data from the World Bank. (AFP)
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