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Afghanistan Earthquake: Death Toll Rises To 2,000 – Taliban Officials
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Afghanistan Earthquake: Death Toll Rises To 2,000 – Taliban Officials
By Sanded Khan
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 under the rubble 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.
On Sunday, people attempted to dig out the dead and injured with their hands in Herat, clambering over rocks and debris. Survivors and victims were trapped under buildings that had crumbled to the ground, their faces grey with dust.
One video, shared online, shows people freeing a baby girl from a collapsed building after being buried up to her neck in debris. A hand is seen cradling the baby’s torso as rescuers ease the child out of the ground. Rescuers said it was the baby’s mother. It is not clear if the mother survived.
“Besides the 2,060 dead, 1,240 people are injured and 1,320 houses are completely destroyed,” said Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture.
About six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said, calling for urgent help.
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.
