Devastating 6.3 Magnitude Earthquake In Western Afghanistan Claims Over 320 Lives

In western Afghanistan's Herat province, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 has resulted in more than 320 fatalities and hundreds of people are feared to be injured, as reported by the United Nations. Local officials in Herat have stated that over 30 individuals have lost their lives, with over 600 others sustaining injuries due to a series of earthquakes in the region.

The province of Herat has been significantly affected, with reports indicating that twelve villages in the Zinda Jan and Ghoryan districts have been entirely demolished. Earlier, Janan Saiq, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Disaster Management, disclosed that at least 15 individuals in three villages in the Zinda Jan district of Herat had succumbed to the earthquake, while nearly 40 others were wounded. Some houses in the Farah and Badghis provinces were also partially damaged, according to the ministry's spokesperson.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported a total of six earthquakes in western Afghanistan, with the most potent registering at a magnitude of 6.3. The latest earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.9, occurred at a depth of 7.7 km in the Zinda Jan district of Herat. The seismic activity was also felt in neighboring provinces, including Farah and Badghis, according to local media accounts.

Afghanistan is a region prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where tectonic plates converge. The country has witnessed numerous seismic events in the past, owing to its location near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Tragically, this earthquake in Herat is another example of the region's vulnerability to such natural disasters, with the memory of a powerful earthquake in eastern Afghanistan in June 2022, which claimed over 1000 lives and left approximately 1500 people injured, still fresh in people's minds.