Kabul [Afghanistan],October 8: A map posted on the website of the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows that there were 7 earthquakes in western Afghanistan , the most significant of which was a 5.9 magnitude event about 35 km north of Herat province. north-west; A magnitude 6.3 event on the Richter scale was about 33 km north-north-west of Zindah Jan district (central Herat province) and an additional magnitude 6.3 event was about 29 km north-north-west of Zindah Jan district.
"The number of deaths is at a huge level, with many people still buried under the rubble," The Guardian newspaper today, October 8, quoted a Taliban official , adding that local authorities are in dire need of help. external support.
The USGS preliminary report assessed "significant casualties are likely and the impact of the natural disaster is likely to be widespread." According to the report, past earthquake events with similar warning levels required a regional or national response.
Images taken at the scene in Herat province show horrific scenes of devastation, with villages reduced to piles of rubble and survivors trying to retrieve the bodies of loved ones from the rubble.
"Dozens of villages were completely flattened, hundreds of people buried underneath," The Guardian newspaper quoted a person who only gave his name as Dawood, a resident of the hard-hit area of Zindah Jan.
"I have brought the bodies of nine relatives to Herat and I am on my way back. Roads leading to many villages are damaged. More people will die under the rubble," Mr. Dawood sadly shared. by phone.
"There are only 50 survivors left in my relative's village," Mr. Dawood added, adding that as of the morning of October 7, the village had more than 400 people.
Herat province governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar said the number of casualties was high in Zindah Jan district because more than 10 villages were left with only piles of rubble.
The earthquakes on October 7 were similar in intensity to the earthquake that occurred near Afghanistan's southeastern border with Pakistan in June 2022. At that time, more than 1,000 people died and about 1,500 were injured.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper