The shock happens as the Afghan government works to recover from last weekend’s catastrophic earthquake.
After only a few days since another significant earthquake, which injured thousands more people and claimed over 2,000 Afghan lives, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake has slammed western Afghanistan.
The newest jolt was noted as having a shallow depth of about 9 km by the US Geological Survey early on Wednesday morning. The epicentre of the earthquake was close to Afghanistan’s western border, in the area of Herat Province’s provincial capital.
Local resident Mohammad Reza said to the New York Times, “I was so scared and shocked, now I feel dizzy and I’m just throwing up,” adding that he “thought that it was all over” following Saturday’s 6.3-magnitude earthquake.
A source with ties to the Herat Seminary Hospital informed TOLO News that the facility had treated 55 people with injuries and had documented one fatality, despite the fact that Afghan government have not yet reported casualties following Wednesday’s earthquake.
READ ALSO: Afghanistan earthquake death toll approaches 2,500 – Media
In the western part of Afghanistan, the preceding earthquake destroyed entire communities, and it was followed by a number of strong aftershocks that caused further harm. Humanitarian organisations worry that the number of casualties will rise as rescuers continue to recover victims from the rubble. The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health in the nation has so far confirmed more than 2,500 deaths across 21 communities.
Arshad Malik, the country director for Save the Children in Afghanistan, referred to the extent of the destruction as “truly disturbing,” and he predicted that the death toll “will rise as people are still trapped in the rubble of their homes in Herat.” The government in Kabul is apparently looking for foreign money for food, medicine, and other supplies after he asked for a “urgent injection” of cash from the international community.
In addition to the 1,300 reported fatalities, 500 people were still missing in Herat’s Zinda Jan region, according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, who stated that it was the area most severely affected.
