Kabul: A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The tremors were felt at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles). There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property due to the fresh tremors.
However, the death toll from powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan has crossed 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said. Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson based in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were under way to save people trapped under the rubble in the wake of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Herat province on Saturday.
On Sunday, people attempted to dig out the dead and injured with their hands in Herat, clambering over rocks and debris. Survivors and victims were trapped under buildings that had crumbled to the ground, their faces grey with dust.
One video, shared online, shows people freeing a baby girl from a collapsed building after being buried up to her neck in debris. A hand is seen cradling the baby’s torso as rescuers ease the child out of the ground. Rescuers said it was the baby’s mother. It is not clear if the mother survived.
This is one of the deadliest quakes to hit Afghanistan in two decades. The country is already struggling with a humanitarian crisis, and the earthquakes have made the situation worse. Many people have been left homeless and without access to food, water, and medical care.
The international community has pledged to help Afghanistan, but more needs to be done to assist the victims of the earthquakes and to rebuild the affected areas.