Afghanistan earthquake death toll approaches 2,500 – Media

Locals and rescuers are digging with their bare hands in search of survivors and dead due to a shortage of equipment, according to Xinhua.

According to the Xinhua news agency, the death toll from the earthquake that hit Afghanistan on Saturday has increased to 2,445 and more than 9,200 people have been injured. 13 villages in Herat’s Zanda Jan area have been completely destroyed, and more people are still reportedly buried under the wreckage.

Around a dozen rescue teams have been sent by Afghan national and provincial authorities to help the victims, the site stated. But it also said that because of a lack of tools, locals and rescuers had to dig with bare hands to look for survivors or bodies.

Arshad Malik, the director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, called the extent of the damage horrifying. Malik urged the international community to provide a “urgent injection” of money, saying, “The numbers affected by this tragedy are truly disturbing — and those numbers will rise as people are still trapped in the rubble of their homes in Herat.”

READ ALSO: Afghanistan earthquake: 6.3 quake causes 1,000 injuries and at least 120 deaths

The Financial Times claimed that the government intended to enlist outside assistance, citing Mohammad Sohail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha. Kabul specifically requests food, tents, and medical supplies.

While Pakistan and China claimed to have contacted Afghan authorities to determine emergency requirements, the Iranian Red Crescent Society has already dispatched ten rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Additionally expressing its support for the Afghan people, the Qatari Foreign Ministry emphasised that it is “fully prepared to provide necessary assistance for recovery.”

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, “We extend our sincere words of sympathy to the friendly Afghan people, the families of those killed, and those injured as a result of this natural disaster.” Zamir Kabulov, the president of Russia’s special delegation for Afghanistan, claims that while Moscow has not yet received any requests for assistance, it is prepared to take any such requests into consideration.

On Saturday night, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred 40 km west of the city of Herat. The neighbouring provinces of Badghis and Farah felt powerful earthquakes. According to the US Geological Survey, a number of earthquakes measuring 5.9 and 5.5 aftershocks were noted. After tragedies in Turkey and Syria claimed the lives of about 50,000 people in February, the earthquake ranks among the deadliest events in the world this year.