Earthquake in northwestern Afghanistan kills more than 2,000 people… The number of deaths seems to be increasing

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The strongest earthquake in 20 years occurred in northwest Afghanistan on the 7th, killing more than 2,000 people, Taliban authorities said. In Afghanistan, the national infrastructure has deteriorated due to repeated conflicts for decades, and the activities of international relief organizations have been halted after the Taliban took power in 2021, so there are concerns that the number of casualties will increase further due to poor relief conditions.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred in Herat Province, northwest Afghanistan, at around 11:11 a.m. on this day. Eight aftershocks of magnitude 4.3 to 6.3 followed. Reuters reported that Mullah Janan Sayeq, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Disaster, said on the 8th, “2,053 people died, 9,240 were injured, and 1,329 houses were destroyed or destroyed.” The epicenter was 36 km northwest of Herat, the provincial capital, and the depth of the epicenter was relatively shallow at 14 km. The Associated Press reported that this was the first major earthquake to occur in Afghanistan in 20 years.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 600 houses were damaged in at least 12 villages in Herat and about 4,200 people were affected. An official from the Herat provincial health department said it was difficult to confirm the death toll because the bodies were scattered across several hospitals.

Herat, located about 120km east of the Iranian border, is considered one of Afghanistan’s three largest cities and the cultural capital. According to the World Bank in 2019, Herat’s population was approximately 1.9 million people.

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The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet, so earthquakes occur frequently around the Hindu Kush Mountains. In June last year, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred in Pakhtika province, southeastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, killing more than 1,000 people.

Afghanistan, considered the poorest country in Asia, has been suffering from a humanitarian crisis as internal conflict has continued since the invasion of the former Soviet Union in 1979. As the Taliban seized power after the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2021, the U.S. and its allies froze about $7 billion (about 9.44 trillion won) in Afghan foreign reserves and suspended financial support. In opposition to the Taliban oppressing women, international aid organizations announced a suspension of their activities last year.

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Source: Donga

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