The death toll following strong earthquakes in Afghanistan has gone past 2,000 and more than 9,000 people have been injured, according to the Taliban administration on Sunday in the deadliest quakes in years.
The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in the tremor-prone mountainous country of Afghanistan spiked from 500 reported on Sunday morning by a Red Crescent spokesperson and 16 from Saturday night amid the confusion.
The tremors hit 35 kilometers or 20 miles northwest of the Herat city, with one of the quakes measuring 6.3 magnitude, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The spokesperson for the ministry of disaster, Mullah Janan Sayeeq was quoted by Reuters as saying that 2,053 people were killed and a further 9,240 were injured, while 1,329 houses were damaged or destroyed.
A Herat health department official who identified himself as Dr Danish was quoted by Reuters as saying that more than 200 people were brought dead to different hospitals. He went on to add that most of them were women and children. Bodies had been “taken to several places-military bases, hospitals,” said Danish.
The earthquakes caused panic in the city of Heart, Naseema, a resident said on Saturday. In a text message to Reuters she mentioned that the city was witnessing follow-on tremors. She wrote, “People left their houses, we all are on the streets. “
