Fears of more casualties as further earthquakes hit Afghanistan

Another powerful earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, days after a series of quakes in the same region killed thousands of people.

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit an area 28km (17 miles) south of Herat’s regional capital at 5.11am local time, injuring at least 80 people.

Several additional aftershocks were reported in Herat city. Medics at the regional hospital said that “injured people keep arriving”. The 600-bed hospital reached full capacity on Saturday afternoon after the earlier quakes.

In a statement, the office of Herat’s governor said several areas devastated by Saturday’s earthquakes had suffered “huge losses”.

“Eighty injured individuals have thus far been transported to the hospital from nearby regions,” a senior Taliban official said.

“People have suffered losses, and there are additional villages completely levelled. We are en route to the affected areas,” he said. “There are fears that more people would be under rubble. More than 400 houses are crumbled in just one village.”

Electricity in the city was reportedly cut on Wednesday morning. Residents said drinking water has turned brown. Access to food in the province has is limited as many shops have closed or been destroyed.

On Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of residents began evacuating Herat city. The roads leading to a nearby desert were congested with cars and people trying to find safety in case another earthquake were to occur.

“Some of our teams have stopped their search in the area of Saturday’s quake and are now heading to areas affected this morning,” a local Taliban official told the Guardian. “We are overwhelmed.”

Reshad, a Herat resident, said: “I don’t know what we did wrong or why God is punishing us. We are seeking refuge in a schoolyard.”

People have been sleeping in public parks and streets in the city since Saturday when multiple earthquakes destroyed thousands of homes north-west of the capital. Nearly 3,000 people are believed to have been killed.

Residents of more than 2,000 villages across Herat province have evacuated their homes since the weekend.

Hanif, who lives in Robat Sangi district, said he saw his village crumble on Wednesday morning.

“We were sleeping outdoors on a nearby hill and it was after morning prayer,” he said in a telephone interview. “And then it was all dust.”

Another villager from Robat Sangi said: “We have been living under the scorching sun since Saturday. We cannot afford tents, and our children are in a distressing condition.”

Relief and rescue efforts in response to Saturday’s earthquakes have been hindered by a shortage of overseas aid that previously served as the backbone of the economy but has dwindled since the Taliban took control in 2021.

Lacking experience in managing natural disasters, the Taliban are facing huge challenges conducting search and rescue operations.

Social media and state TV footage over the past few days has shown members of the Taliban’s rescue teams extracting bricks from piles of rubble with guns slung over their shoulders.