EXPLAINER
According to authorities, 9,240 people were injured and 1,320 houses were damaged or destroyed.
A powerful earthquake has struck Afghanistan, shaking the mountainous country and leaving a trail of death and destruction.
What happened and where?
- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake followed by three strong aftershocks struck western Afghanistan on Saturday.
- According to authorities, about six villages were destroyed and hundreds of people were buried under the rubble.
Where did it happen?
- The main quake struck about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Herat, the capital of Herat province, according to the United States Geological Survey.
- The first quake was followed by three strong aftershocks and tremors of lesser magnitude.
(AlJazeera)
How many victims?
- Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the disaster ministry, said 2,053 people were killed, 9,240 injured and 1,320 houses damaged or destroyed. The death toll rose from 500 to 500, the Red Crescent reported earlier on Sunday.
- More than 200 of those killed were taken to various hospitals, a Herat health department official said, adding that most of them were women and children.
- The earthquakes come in a year in which earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February killed an estimated 50,000 people. Earthquakes in Morocco killed almost 3,000 people in September.
What’s the latest locally?
- Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman based in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were underway to save those trapped under the rubble.
- Shaheen said there was an urgent need for tents, medicine and food in disaster-hit areas. He appealed to local entrepreneurs and NGOs to get involved to help people in need.
- On Sunday, people in Herat tried to dig out the dead and injured with their hands, climbing over stones and rubble. Survivors and victims were trapped under collapsed buildings, their faces gray with dust.