Afghanistan earthquake: 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits western Afghanistan following devastating earthquake

Herat, October 11: Western Afghanistan endured another powerful earthquake on Wednesday, compounding the devastation caused by a previous earthquake that claimed over 2,000 lives and reduced entire villages to rubble.

The latest earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.3 and struck approximately 28 kilometers outside Herat, the provincial capital of Herat province, with a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Saturday's earthquake, the epicenter of which was about 40 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, triggered several subsequent aftershocks, some of which were quite intense.

Taliban officials reported that the earlier earthquakes had caused more than 2,000 fatalities across Herat. While they acknowledged that the quakes had resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, they did not provide a detailed breakdown of the casualties.

Immediate reports on the extent of damage from the latest tremor were not available. Nevertheless, the villages in the hilly terrain of the region have been reduced to little more than ruins, with funerals becoming a tragically common occurrence.

In Naib Rafi, a village that was home to approximately 2,500 residents, survivors recounted that almost no one remained alive, except for those who happened to be outside when the earthquake struck. In the aftermath of the disaster, survivors worked tirelessly with excavators to dig mass burial trenches.

In the Zinda Jan district, a desolate field witnessed a bulldozer clearing space for a long line of graves after removing heaps of earth.

Mir Agha, a resident of Herat city who had joined numerous volunteers in assisting the locals, expressed the heart-wrenching reality of the situation, stating, "It is very difficult to find a family member from a destroyed house and, a few minutes later, bury him or her in a nearby grave, once again under the ground."

The Taliban reported that nearly 2,000 houses in 20 villages were completely destroyed by the quakes. The affected area has only one government-run hospital, leaving the region grappling with immense challenges in responding to the disaster's aftermath.

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- With inputs from agencies

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