At least 120 people killed, 12 villages destroyed

The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Herat and other western provinces on October 7 has risen to at least 120, while about 1,000 others were injured, according to a local official in Afghanistan.

Earthquake in Afghanistan: Casualties soar. (Source: Getty)

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Mawlawi Musa Ashari, Director of the Disaster Management Agency in Herat province, said that the injured have been taken to hospital for treatment.

Earlier, the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority said that at least 15 people were killed and 40 others injured in these earthquakes.

The earthquakes destroyed 12 villages in Zindajan and Ghorian districts of Herat province, the official said.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), on October 7, western Afghanistan was shaken by two earthquakes of magnitude 6.2.

Rescue teams have been dispatched to the quake-affected areas to conduct search and rescue operations. Local authorities are actively coordinating with aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to the families of the victims.

Earthquakes are frequent in Afghanistan, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range (between the country and Pakistan), which lies near the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

Last June, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked Paktika province, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in nearly 25 years.

In March this year, 13 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan were killed after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck near the Jurm area in northeastern Afghanistan.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dong-dat-tai-afghanistan-it-nhat-120-nguoi-thiet-mang-pha-huy-12-ngoi-lang-245277.html