a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the west of the country leaves at least 120 dead and 1,000 injured

Its epicenter was located 40 kilometers northwest of Herat, Afghanistan. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook this region in the west of the country on Saturday October 7. The death toll stands at “around 120” dead and more than 1,000 injured, regional authorities said.

A preliminary report from the USGS, lThe United States Geological Survey confirms that theThe earthquake, quickly followed by four aftershocks of magnitudes 5.5, 4.7, 6.3 and 5.9 respectively, could cause a high number of deaths. “It is likely that there will be a significant number of casualties and that the disaster will be potentially widespread”estimates the institute.

In Herat, which has a population of 1.9 million according to World Bank data, the city’s residents and traders fled buildings when the earthquake hit around 11 a.m. local time. On the side of the Taliban government, those responsible for managing natural disasters could not immediately be reached.