The earthquakes occurred around noon. The first and most violent earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3 and was followed by a series of heavy aftershocks. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Zinda Gan area, more than 30 kilometers northwest of Herat, the second largest city in Afghanistan. At least five earthquakes were recorded in the city itself. Residents fled to the streets and remained there, fearing new earthquakes. The earthquakes did not stop until after five o’clock.
Entire villages were destroyed, and the victims were transferred to area hospitals. For a long time there was confusion about the number of victims. The messages contradicted each other. The Taliban government’s disaster ministry reported 2,053 people killed and 9,240 injured. But both the BBC and New York times She stated that the government made a mistake. According to local authorities, 883 deaths were reported.
1,329 homes are said to have been destroyed or damaged. In the affected area, many houses were built from pieces of dried clay, and these houses are said to have collapsed during the first earthquake. Most of the victims are said to be women and children.
Major earthquakes are more common in the region, where tectonic plates come into contact with each other. Herat Province is located in western Afghanistan on the border with Iran. In 2022, eastern Afghanistan was also hit by a severe earthquake. It cost the lives of more than a thousand people.
