New Delhi: The toll Saturday’s magnitude 6.3 quake, which was followed by eight strong aftershocks, has reportedly touched 1,000.
“Unfortunately, the casualties are practically very high… the death toll is more than one thousand people,” Bilal Karimi told AFP.
Taliban spokesman, however, have put the toll at 2,000. Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesperson of the country’s Ministry of Information and Culture, said that a six villages have been destroyed, and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris and sought urgent help.
Red Crescent spokesman Erfanullah Sharafzo, on the other hand, said that the powerful earthquake have killed 500 people.
An update from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 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 AP quoted the UN as saying.
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.
According to United States Geological Survey, the epicentre of the magnitude 6.3 quake was 40 km northwest of Herat. It was followed by eight aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.3 and 6.3.
