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97375
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: killer quakes in afghanistan
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Over 2,000 killed and injured after earthquakes shakes Afghanistan by Lauren Sforza - 10/08/23 8:35 AM ET (AP Photo/Omid Haqjoo) 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. Correction: Officials later clarified that the initial figure of 2,000 dead included deaths and injuries More than 2,000 people were reported dead and injured after a pair of devastating earthquakes rattled Afghanistan on Saturday. Initially, a Taliban government spokesperson said Sunday that the death toll from the powerful earthquakes reached more than 2,000 — making it one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the nation, the Associated Press reported. However, officials later clarified that the figure included deaths and injuries. There are fears that the death toll from the 6.2 magnitude earthquake, followed by strong aftershocks on Saturday could continue to rise. The quake’s epicenter was about 25 miles northwest of Herat City, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was followed by three aftershocks measuring 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. Search and rescue efforts were already underway Sunday as people attempted to dig out the dead and possible survivors with just their hands in Herat. Survivors and victims were buried under collapsed buildings as the search continues. Abdul Wahid Rayan, a spokesperson at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said Sunday that the death count is higher than what was initially reported. “Besides the 2,060 dead, 1,240 people are injured and 1,320 houses are completely destroyed,” Rayan said. The United Nations initially reported Saturday that at least 100 were killed. The organization said it coordinated with aid agencies and local authorities to send five emergency assessment teams as part of a first response. “Once again, children and families in Afghanistan have been affected by a devastating earthquake, this time in western Herat province. @UNICEFAfg is on the ground with our UN colleagues to assess the full impact. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all families affected,” UNICEF Afghanistan tweeted. The Associated Press contributed. |
97377
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: killer quakes in afghanistan
URL: https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/strong-earthquake-and-several-aftershocks-18412270.php
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Death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan rises to over 2,000 Updated Oct 7, 2023 11:05 p.m. FILE - An aerial view of the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, June 5, 2023. Two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan's Herat province on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, the country's national disaster authority said.Rodrigo Abd/AP ISLAMABAD (AP) — The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to over 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. It's one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. A powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, the country's national disaster authority said. But Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said the death toll from the earthquake in Herat is higher than originally reported. About six villages have been destroyed, and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said while calling for urgent help. The United Nations late Saturday gave a preliminary figure of 320 dead, but later said the figure was still being verified. Local authorities gave an estimate of 100 people killed and 500 injured, according to the same update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The update said 465 houses had been reported destroyed and a further 135 were damaged. “Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings,” the U.N. said. Disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quake and aftershocks. The United States Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Herat city. It was followed by three very strong aftershocks, measuring magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5, as well as lesser shocks. At least five strong tremors struck the city around noon, Herat city resident Abdul Shakor Samadi said. “All people are out of their homes,” Samadi said. “Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. My family and I were inside our home, I felt the quake.” His family began shouting and ran outside, afraid to return indoors. The World Health Organization in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulance cars to Zenda Jan to evacuate casualties to hospitals. “As deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs,” the U.N. agency said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children.” Telephone connections went down in Herat, making it hard to get details from affected areas. Videos on social media showed hundreds of people in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat city. Herat province borders Iran. The quake also was felt in the nearby Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports. Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, expressed his condolences to the dead and injured in Herat and Badghis. The Taliban urged local organizations to reach earthquake-hit areas as soon as possible to help take the injured to hospital, provide shelter for the homeless, and deliver food to survivors. They said security agencies should use all their resources and facilities to rescue people trapped under debris. “We ask our wealthy compatriots to give any possible cooperation and help to our afflicted brothers,” the Taliban said on X. Japan's ambassador to Afghanistan, Takashi Okada, expressed his condolences saying on the social media platform X, that he was “deeply grieved and saddened to learn the news of earthquake in Herat province.” In June 2022, a powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. The quake killed at least 1,000 people and injured about 1,500. |
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97382
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: killer quakes in afghanistan
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6.3 magnitude earthquake shakes part of western Afghanistan where earlier quake killed over 2,000 By EBRAHIM NOROOZI, Associated PressUpdated Oct 10, 2023 11:00 p.m. Afghans bury hundreds of people killed in an earthquake to a burial site, in a village in Zenda Jan district in Herat province, western of Afghanistan, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Saturday's deadly earthquake killed and injured thousands when it leveled an untold number of homes in Herat province. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP CHAHAK, Afghanistan (AP) — Another strong earthquake shook part of western Afghanistan on Wednesday morning after an earlier quake killed more than 2,000 and flattened whole villages. The latest magnitude 6.3 earthquake was about 28 kilometers (17 miles) outside Herat, the capital of Herat province, and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Wednesday’s quake has injured at least 80 people and a landslide has blocked the main Herat-Torghondi highway, Information Ministry spokesman Abdul Wahid Rayan said. It also flattened all 700 homes in Chahak village, which was untouched by the tremors of previous days. There are mounds of soil where dwellings used to be. But there were no deaths initially reported in Chahak because people have taken shelter in tents this week, fearing for their lives as tremors continue to rock Herat. The epicenter of Saturday's quake was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the provincial capital, and several aftershocks have been strong, including another of magnitude 6.3 on Saturday. Taliban officials said more than 2,000 had died across Herat after the earlier quakes. They subsequently said the quakes killed and injured thousands but didn't give a breakdown of casualties. Besides rubble and funerals after Saturday’s devastation, there is little left of the villages in the region's dusty hills. In Naib Rafi, a village that previously had about 2,500 residents, people said almost no one was still alive besides men who were working outside when the quake struck. Survivors worked all day with excavators to dig long trenches for mass burials. On a barren field in the district of Zinda Jan, a bulldozer removed mounds of earth to clear space for a long row of graves. “It is very difficult to find a family member from a destroyed house and a few minutes to later bury him or her in a nearby grave, again under the ground,” said Mir Agha, from the city of Herat, who had joined hundreds of volunteers to help the locals. Nearly 2,000 houses in 20 villages were destroyed, the Taliban have said. The area hit by the quakes has just one government-run hospital. On Tuesday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Zinda Jan was the worst-affected area, with more than 1,300 people killed and nearly 500 people still reported missing. He said U.N. satellite imagery also indicated extreme levels of destruction in the district of Injil. “Our humanitarian colleagues warn that children are particularly vulnerable and have suffered severe psychological distress from the earthquake,” he said. |
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