Afghan men search for victims after an earthquake in Zenda Jan district in Herat province, of western Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Powerful earthquakes killed at least 2,000 people in western Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. It's one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. (AP Photo/Omid Haqjoo)
APTOPIX Afghanistan Earthquake
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban government spokesperson says the death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has jumped to more than 2,000. It’s one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the initial quake in Herat province on Saturday had a magnitude of 6.3. That was followed by three strong aftershocks. The spokesperson said Sunday the death toll is higher than originally reported. Villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said while calling for urgent help. In Herat, people used bare hands to dig out the dead and injured. One video shows a baby girl freed from a collapsed building after being buried up to her neck.
