Afghanistan Earthquakes: Photos Capture Widespread Destruction As Over 2,000 Dead In Catastrophe

Western Afghanistan was struck by a series of powerful earthquakes, with the death toll climbing steadily and causing widespread destruction. The Taliban government spokesman confirmed on Sunday that the death toll from these seismic events has surged past 2,000, marking one of the deadliest earthquakes the country has witnessed in the past two decades.

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The calamity began with a formidable magnitude-6.3 earthquake, which was soon followed by a series of intense aftershocks. The country's national disaster authority initially reported dozens of casualties from the initial quake, but Abdul Wahid Rayan, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, revealed that the death toll in Herat, the epicenter of the catastrophe, was tragically much higher than originally reported.

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Approximately six villages have been completely razed to the ground, and hundreds of civilians are now trapped beneath the debris, compelling a plea for urgent assistance from authorities.

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The United Nations initially provided a preliminary figure of 320 fatalities, although they subsequently noted that the number was still undergoing verification. Local authorities estimated around 100 people dead and 500 injured, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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Additionally, the update conveyed that 465 houses had been obliterated while 135 others had sustained varying degrees of damage.

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The United States Geological Survey pinpointed the epicenter of the earthquake approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Herat city. Following the initial quake, three very potent aftershocks measuring magnitudes of 6.3, 5.9, and 5.5, along with numerous smaller tremors, compounded the crisis.

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The World Health Organization in Afghanistan acted swiftly, dispatching 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan in order to evacuate casualties to hospitals.

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The disruption caused by the earthquake extended to telecommunications, with phone connections in Herat down, making it difficult to obtain timely updates from the affected areas. Videos shared on social media depicted hundreds of people congregating in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat city, seeking refuge from the tremors.

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Herat province shares a border with Iran, and the seismic shockwaves were also felt in neighboring Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.

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The Taliban called upon local organizations to swiftly mobilize resources and personnel to assist the earthquake-affected regions, including transporting the injured to hospitals, providing shelter to those left homeless, and distributing essential food supplies to survivors.

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This tragic earthquake in western Afghanistan serves as a grim reminder of the region's vulnerability to natural disasters. In June 2022, a powerful earthquake devastated a rugged, mountainous area in eastern Afghanistan, resulting in the destruction of stone and mud-brick homes, claiming the lives of at least 1,000 people and injuring approximately 1,500.

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