Afghanistan rocked by 6.3 magnitude earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.

Volunteers and rescuers have been working since last weekendto locate survivors of the earlier series of earthquakes.

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These quakes devastated entire villages and impacted over 12,000 individuals, according to UN estimates.

There have been conflicting reports from local and national officials regarding the number of casualties resulting from the previous earthquakes. The Taliban-controlled disaster ministry said that 2,053 people lost their lives.

Devastation from earlier earthquake

Following Wednesday's earthquake near Herat city, which is home to over half a million people, no immediate reports of new casualties have emerged.

The earlier earthquakes completely destroyed at least 11 villages in Herat province's Zenda Jan district, as reported by the United Nations.

Local media reportedthat many Herat residents have been living in tents in the open air at night due to fears of aftershocks following the weekend tremors.

Providing widespread shelter is a significant challenge for Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, who took overin August 2021 and have banned women from mingling with men in community settings.

Afghanistan frequently experiences deadly earthquakes, but the weekend's disaster was the most severe in over 25 years for the war-torn nation.

Afghanistan is already grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis amid reduction in foreign aid after the Taliban's return to power, and hardliner rulers' consistent attack on the rights of women.

(With inputs from agencies)

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