In a distressing turn of events, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake has rocked western Afghanistan, causing deep concern given that it unfolded in the same region where a series of tremors claimed the lives of over 1,000 people just last week.
This recent seismic event struck shortly after 8 am, its epicenter situated 33 kilometers to the northwest of Herat city, the capital of the western province bearing the same name, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Within a mere 20 minutes, a magnitude 5.5 aftershock followed.
As the situation unfolds, Abdul Qadeem Mohammadi, the head doctor at Herat Regional Hospital, disclosed that “so far, 93 injured and one fatality have been registered.” National disaster management authorities are diligently investigating the full extent of the destruction.
Observations from an AFP correspondent in Herat city shed light on the enduring fear among residents. The majority remain apprehensive about returning to their homes, opting to sleep outdoors for safety against potential nighttime aftershocks, even a week after the initial quakes. Nevertheless, some have cautiously resumed sleeping indoors.
Hamid Nizami, a 27-year-old shopkeeper, offered insight into the collective apprehension, stating, “Herat’s people are panicked and scared. It’s Allah’s blessing that it happened during the day when people were awake.”
This latest magnitude 6.3 quake and its powerful aftershocks on October 7 followed a devastating sequence of earthquakes that occurred in the same Herat region, toppling many rural homes.
The Taliban government has reported that over 1,000 individuals lost their lives in the preceding tremors, while the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its estimate to nearly 1,400 fatalities. Subsequently, another earthquake of similar magnitude claimed one life and injured 130 more, leaving thousands of terrified residents without shelter as volunteers tirelessly searched for survivors.
To further complicate the dire situation, dust storms wreaked havoc on the tents in which survivors were residing. As Hamid Nizami expressed, “Many of our countrymen don’t have any place to live, and nights are getting colder.”
The WHO’s data indicates that nearly 20,000 people have been affected by this series of catastrophic events, with women and children representing the majority of the casualties. Tragically, survivors now find themselves living amidst the remnants of their once-intact homes, where entire families were tragically wiped out in an instant.
One survivor, 40-year-old Mohammad Naeem, shared the heart-wrenching loss of 12 family members, including his mother, in the previous week’s quakes. He lamented, “We can’t live here anymore. You can see, our family got martyred here. How could we live here?”
Notably, Afghanistan is no stranger to earthquakes, particularly in its western and central regions, where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates exert immense pressure upon one another. The formidable challenge now lies in providing shelter to the affected population, a task that is compounded by the complex relations between Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, who assumed power in August 2021, and international aid organizations.
Public health minister Qalandar Ebad acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, stating, “We know they could live there in tents for one month, but more than that would probably be very difficult.” This challenge is compounded by the predominant construction style in rural Afghanistan, where homes are primarily constructed of mud with minimal steel or concrete reinforcement. Additionally, multi-generational extended families tend to inhabit the same dwelling, making communities exceptionally vulnerable to the devastating impact of serious earthquakes.
Afghanistan is already grappling with a dire humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the withdrawal of foreign aid following the return of the Taliban government to power.
