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Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 07:43am on 08 Oct 2023,Sunday International
The death toll from a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan has risen to over 2,000 people as the Taliban plead for urgent aid. Several villages were flattened with hundreds buried under rubble, prompting rescue efforts. The quake struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, centered 40km from Herat city. Aftershocks as strong as 6.3 magnitude followed, causing extensive damage. At least 465 houses were destroyed and 135 damaged per UN tallies. The Taliban deployed ambulances and urged aid groups to reach affected areas quickly to assist the injured and provide food and shelter to survivors. With telephone lines down in Herat, details remain scarce from remote impacted villages. The earthquake is one of Afghanistan's deadliest in decades as the country grapples with the disaster.
