NNA – The death toll from powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan is estimated to be 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding that the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson based in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were under way to save people trapped in debris in the wake of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Herat province.
Shaheen said there was an urgent need for tents, medical and food items in the areas hit by the disaster, as he appealed to local businessmen and NGOs to come forward to help people in need.
Earlier, Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture, told The Associated Press that more than 2,000 people were killed in the quake and strong aftershocks. About six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said, calling for urgent help.
The countryrsquo;s national disaster authority said on Saturday the earthquake had killed about 100 people.
Later on Saturday, the United Nations gave a preliminary figure of 320 deaths. However, it later said the figure was still being verified, while the Red Crescent said 500 people were killed.
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 40km (24 miles) northwest of the city of Herat at about 11am on Saturday (06:30 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces.
Widespread damage
In Herat city, resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said the quake was followed by at least five strong aftershocks at about noon.
ldquo;All people are out of their homes,rdquo; Samadi said. ldquo;Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. My family and I were inside our home. I felt the quake.rdquo;
His family began shouting and ran outside, afraid to return indoors.
The USGS said the quake was followed by three strong aftershocks ndash; magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5 ndash; as well as weaker shocks.
Afghanistanrsquo;s disaster management authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said the quake and aftershocks damaged homes in four villages in the Zendeh Jan district in Herat province. There were also reports of widespread damage to houses in the Farah and Badghis provinces.
The World Health Organization unit in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulances to Zendeh Jan to shift wounded people to hospitals.
ldquo;As deaths amp; casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded amp; assessing additional needs,rdquo; the UN agency said on X, previously known as Twitter. ldquo;WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children.rdquo;
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, offered his condolences to the victimsrsquo; families and those injured in the quake.
In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. It was Afghanistanrsquo;s deadliest earthquake in two decades, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500. —nbsp;AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
nbsp;
nbsp;
nbsp;
nbsp;