A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Wednesday, compounding the misery of an area already reeling from the devastating loss of over 2,000 lives during a series of similar quakes last weekend.
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth around 05:10 am local time, with its epicenter located approximately 29 kilometers north of Herat province, as reported by the United States Geological Survey, according to AFP. The impact was felt most significantly near Herat city, home to over half a million residents.
Since Saturday, rescue teams and volunteers have been working tirelessly on the ground to locate survivors of the previous earthquakes, which demolished entire villages and affected approximately 12,000 people, as estimated by the United Nations (UN).
Local and national officials have provided conflicting counts of the number of dead and injured from the earlier earthquakes, with the disaster ministry confirming a death toll of 2,053 people. “We can’t give exact numbers for dead and wounded as it is in flux,” said disaster management ministry spokesman Mullah Janan Sayeq.
Thankfully, there were no immediate reports of new casualties following Wednesday’s earthquake. However, the situation remains dire as the previous earthquakes had completely destroyed at least 11 villages in Herat province’s Zenda Jan district, leaving residents without shelter and in need of basic necessities.
The survivors have been living in tents in the open air, fearing aftershocks from the weekend tremors. Providing shelter and aid on a large scale is expected to be a significant challenge for Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, who assumed power in August 2021 and have had complex relations with international aid organizations.
This earthquake tragedy further exacerbates the humanitarian crisis already gripping Afghanistan, with the widespread withdrawal of foreign aid. Herat province, located on the border with Iran and home to approximately 1.9 million people, has been suffering from a prolonged drought, which has added to the region’s woes.
Afghanistan is frequently struck by deadly earthquakes, but the weekend disaster marked the worst earthquake to hit the war-ravaged country in over 25 years. The construction of most homes in rural Afghanistan, primarily made of mud and wooden support poles with minimal reinforcement, leaves communities particularly vulnerable to the devastating impact of earthquakes. Additionally, multi-generational extended families often live under the same roof, further compounding the destruction in the event of such natural disasters.
