Over 2,000 people have been reportedly died after a powerful earthquake struck western Afghanistan.
The Taliban on Sunday, said that the incident occurred as the nation reels from another quake at a time of deep economic crisis.
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province which is known to be the third largest in Afghanistan.
CNN reported that Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mojahid put the number killed at 2,053 people, with more 1,240 people hurt and 1,320 houses completely or partially destroyed.
It said “there are fears the toll could rise further as rescue teams have arrived in the Herat province, and foods, water, medicines and clothes have also been sent to the site.”
“The initial quake was also felt in neighboring provinces of Badghis and Farah and was followed by multiple aftershocks,” said Mojahid.
Close to 500 houses were reportedly destroyed and 135 buildings damaged, said the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) afte an earlier assessments from the UN had indicated a lower toll of around 100 dead and 500 injured.
“In total, 4,200 people (600 families) are assessed to have been affected to date,” OCHA said.
According to the inform source, “Mahal Wadakah is understood to be the worst affected village,” reporting at least 20 deaths. Other badly affected areas include Dasht Hows, Bahadorzai, Zoryan and Koshkak,” the UN said.
“Additionally, an estimated 300 families (around 2,100 people) are reported to have been displaced to Herat City where they are living in abandoned buildings.”
Truth Live News learned that Last week the World Bank warned two thirds of Afghan families currently face “significant challenged in maintaining their livelihoods.”
The quake had coincided with heavy monsoon rains and winds which greatly hampered search efforts and helicopter travel.
And a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on January 17, 2022 struck Badghis, another western province near Herat bordering Turkmenistan, killed more than 20 people and reduced hundreds of brick homes to rubble.