In a grim continuation of a disaster that has left a trail of devastation, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Afghanistan, claiming the lives of two people and inflicting further suffering on a region already reeling from a series of potent quakes. The relentless seismic activity, which began on October 7, has battered Herat province, reducing entire villages to rubble, burying families, and rendering thousands homeless, just as winter approaches. Residents in the provincial capital, Herat city, had begun tentatively returning to their homes, but their hopes were dashed as the earth trembled once again on a Sunday morning, pushing them into the unforgiving open.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported two new fatalities and 154 injuries at Herat regional hospital, where medical teams were tirelessly working to tend to the wounded. The situation remains dire, and the psychological toll on the affected population is immense, as fear and trauma grip their hearts.
The epicenter of the latest earthquake was located 33 kilometers northwest of Herat city and unleashed a series of aftershocks, with magnitudes ranging from 4.2 to 5.4, as confirmed by the US Geological Survey. In response to the looming danger, authorities took the extraordinary step of releasing over 528 prisoners from Herat province and neighboring Badghis province, where jail infrastructure was perilously compromised by the seismic upheaval. This move included inmates who had demonstrated significant progress in their rehabilitation and had served substantial portions of their sentences.
National disaster management officials are now investigating the extent of the damage caused by Sunday’s earthquake. MSF’s Yahya Kalilah anticipates that the casualty count will remain relatively low, as many residents in the affected areas had been sleeping outdoors since the earlier earthquake decimated their homes.
For some residents, the situation has become unbearable, forcing them to send their families to neighboring provinces to escape the relentless trauma of the quakes. Those who lacked such options found themselves spending their nights on roads and in parks, battling the harsh realities of displacement.
Hamid Nizami, a shopkeeper in Herat city, found a glimmer of relief in the fact that this latest earthquake struck during the day, ensuring that people were awake and alert. However, this feeble silver lining doesn’t diminish the agony that has enveloped the region for over a week.
The seismic onslaught began on October 7 with a magnitude 6.3 tremor and a string of potent aftershocks that laid waste to rural villages northwest of Herat city. The toll has been devastating, with the Taliban government reporting over 1,000 lives lost, while the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the figure to be nearly 1,400. Another earthquake of the same magnitude struck days after the initial shocks, claiming one life and injuring 130 individuals, as volunteers raced against time to find survivors buried under the debris.
The WHO’s harrowing statistics reveal the extensive reach of these disasters, with nearly 20,000 people affected, and women and children constituting the majority of fatalities. The survivors now find themselves huddled around the ruins of their once-beloved homes, living in a persistent state of anxiety and fear, as aftershocks continue to haunt their nights and days. The relentless tremors have left a community broken but resilient, as they grapple with the unimaginable tragedy that has befallen them.
