Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Afghanistan days after tremors killed over 2,000

Mangalore Today News Network

Kabul, Oct 11, 2023: Another powerful, 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), the research center reported.

 

There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property due to the fresh tremors.

This comes days after multiple earthquakes struck northwest of the city of Herat on Saturday, killing more than 2,000 people and levelling thousands of homes.
Saturday’s temblors - with a 6.3 magnitude - were one of the deadliest in the world this year, after the quakes in Turkey and Syria which killed around 50,000 people.

On Tuesday, Mullah Saiq, spokesperson for Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) confirmed the casualties due to Saturday’s tremors had exceeded 4,000. Further, nearly 2,000 houses in about 20 villages have completely collapsed, he said.

Meanwhile, the United Nation’s humanitarian office announced $5 million worth of assistance for the quake response.

Afghanistan’s healthcare system, largely reliant on foreign aid, has faced crippling cuts in the two years since the Taliban took over and much international assistance was halted.

In addition to medical and food aid, survivors are in dire need of shelter as temperatures drop, the head of the World Health Organization’s emergency response said.

Courtesy: India Today