The Taliban administration announced on Sunday that the deadliest earthquakes to hit the quake-prone mountainous region in years claimed more than 2,400 lives in Afghanistan.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the earthquakes that occurred on Saturday in the country's west struck 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat and had a magnitude of 6.3.
They were among the deadliest earthquakes in around the world this year, following the estimated 50,000 deaths from tremors in Turkey and Syria in February.
The Ministry of Disasters' spokesman, Janan Sayeeq, told Reuters in a message that the death toll had increased to 2,445 but that the number of injured had decreased to "more than 2,000." He had earlier stated that there had been 9,240 injuries.
Sayeeq added that 1,320 homes have been destroyed or damaged.
According to a letter to the media from Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban political office in Qatar, food, water, medication, clothing, and tents were urgently needed for rescue and relief.
Images posted to social media showed cracks and missing tiles on the Herat's mediaeval minarets, showing some damage.
Strong earthquakes have historically struck Afghanistan, which is surrounded by mountains, many of them in the untamed Hindu Kush region that borders Pakistan.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated in a report on Sunday that there are 202 public health facilities in the province of Herat, one of which is the primary regional hospital where 500 casualties had been relocated.
The vast majority of the facilities are small basic health units, and the WHO reported that challenges with logistics hampered operations, especially in outlying locations.
"While search and rescue operations remain ongoing, casualties in these areas have not yet been fully identified,” it said.
You can also read: Afghanistan earthquake Death toll rises to 120, over 1,000 injured, Taliban seek help
अफगानिस्तान में 6.3 तीव्रता का भूकंप, 14 की मौत, 78 घायल
(Image: Source: AP / Omid Haqjoo / AP/ AAP / Mohsen Karimi)
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