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A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook western Afghanistan on Sunday, the US Geological Survey mentioned, wracking the identical area the place greater than 2,000 individuals have been killed in tremors final week.
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The quake hit simply after 8:00 am (0330 GMT) with an epicentre 33 kilometres (20 miles) northwest of Herat metropolis, capital of the same-named western province, the USGS mentioned.
A magnitude 5.5 aftershock adopted 20 minutes later.
Abdul Qadeem Mohammadi, head physician at Herat Regional Hospital, advised AFP that “to date 93 injured and one useless have been registered”.
Nationwide catastrophe administration officers mentioned they have been nonetheless investigating the size of destruction.
An AFP reporter in Herat metropolis mentioned most residents have been nonetheless sleeping exterior per week after the beginning of a collection of quakes within the area, afraid of aftershocks knocking down their properties within the evening.
However some had begun sleeping inside once more.
“Herat’s persons are panicked and scared,” mentioned 27-year-old shopkeeper Hamid Nizami. “It is Allah’s blessing that it occurred throughout the day, individuals have been awake.”
One other magnitude 6.3 quake and eight highly effective aftershocks jolted the identical a part of Herat on October 7, toppling swathes of rural properties.
The Taliban authorities mentioned greater than 2,000 individuals have been killed in final week’s tremors, whereas the World Well being Group (WHO) put the determine at practically 1,400 late Saturday.
One other tremor of the identical depth killed one particular person and injured 130 others days after the preliminary quakes, as 1000’s of terrified residents have been left with out shelter and volunteers dug for survivors.
The quakes have been adopted by mud storms which broken the tents survivors have been dwelling in.
“A lot of our countrymen haven’t any place to dwell and nights are getting colder,” mentioned shopkeeper Nizami.
‘Cannot dwell right here’
The WHO says practically 20,000 individuals have been affected by the string of disasters, with girls and youngsters making up a lot of the fatalities.
1000’s of residents are actually dwelling across the ruins of properties the place whole households have been worn out instantly.
Forty-year-old Mohammad Naeem advised AFP he misplaced 12 kin, together with his mom, after final week’s quakes.
“We will not dwell right here anymore. You possibly can see, our household received martyred right here. How might we dwell right here?”
Earthquakes are frequent in western and central Afghanistan, and are largely brought on by the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates jutting in opposition to one another.
Offering shelter on a big scale shall be a problem for Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, who seized energy in August 2021 and have fractious relations with worldwide support organisations.
“We all know they might dwell there in tents for one month, however greater than that might in all probability be very tough,” mentioned public well being minister Qalandar Ebad.
Most properties in rural Afghanistan are made from mud and constructed round wood help poles, with little in the way in which of metal or concrete reinforcement.
Multi-generational prolonged households usually dwell below the identical roof, which means critical earthquakes can devastate communities.
Afghanistan is already struggling a dire humanitarian disaster, with the widespread withdrawal of overseas support following the Taliban authorities’s return to energy.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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