Rescue efforts are in full swing, with rescue workers laboring to retrieve survivors and recover the deceased, two days after a series of powerful earthquakes struck the northwestern city of Herat and its vicinity. These devastating tremors represent one of Afghanistan’s deadliest seismic events in years.
According to the Taliban administration, the quakes have claimed the lives of at least 2,400 individuals, leaving many more injured. This seismic catastrophe stands among the world’s most lethal this year, alongside the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, which tragically resulted in an estimated 50,000 casualties.
Both Pakistan and Iran have extended offers to dispatch rescue teams and humanitarian aid to the affected regions. Additionally, China’s Red Cross Society has pledged cash relief aid.
Herat Governor’s spokesman, Nissar Ahmad Elyias, stated, “The operation is still ongoing, with survivors continually being extricated from the debris.” The impact of the quakes has extended beyond Herat city, affecting more than a dozen surrounding villages.
While many buildings in Herat city withstood the quakes relatively well, the medieval minarets of its renowned mosques did sustain some damage, as documented in photographs circulating on social media.
One Herat resident, Mir Ahmed, shared his heart-wrenching experience, saying, “Many of our family members have been martyred, including one of my sons, and my other son is also injured.” He added, “Most of the people are under the rubble.”
Afghanistan, enclosed by formidable mountain ranges, has a history of enduring powerful earthquakes, particularly in the rugged Hindu Kush region adjacent to Pakistan.
The challenge in estimating the death toll often arises from the difficulties in gathering information from remote areas of a nation where decades of conflict have left infrastructure in a state of disrepair, rendering relief and rescue operations incredibly challenging to coordinate.
Late on Sunday, the UN Humanitarian Office released a statement, reporting a death toll of 1,023 individuals, with an additional 1,663 people injured and over 500 still missing. It noted that all homes in the Zindajan district of Herat had been destroyed.
Afghanistan’s healthcare system, highly dependent on foreign aid, has grappled with substantial cuts since the Taliban’s assumption of power two years ago. Many international contributions, which had previously bolstered the nation’s economy, were terminated.
Concerns about Taliban-imposed restrictions on women and competing global humanitarian crises have prompted donors to curtail their financial support, as noted by diplomats and aid officials. While the Islamist government has issued directives prohibiting most Afghan female aid workers from employment, exceptions have been granted in the fields of health and education.
Iran, with its border situated less than 90 kilometers from the hardest-hit region, has also pledged humanitarian assistance, as acknowledged by the Taliban administration.
China’s Red Cross Society has committed $200,000 in emergency cash aid to support Afghanistan’s Red Crescent Society in their earthquake rescue and disaster relief endeavors, as reported by China Central Television.
