Strong earthquake shocks were felt in western Afghanistan. The US Geological Survey (USGS) has given this information. The USGS said that the magnitude of this earthquake has been measured at 6.3. About a week ago, thousands of people died and whole villages were destroyed due to the strong earthquake and aftershocks in Afghanistan. The region has already been hit by a series of earthquakes this month, which have destroyed several villages and killed more than 1,000 people.
The earthquake occurred at 03.36 global time. The epicenter of the earthquake was about 33 km away from Herat city, the capital of the western province. Exactly 20 minutes after this, an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 was felt in the area. The latest quake followed a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on October 7, along with eight powerful aftershocks, which damaged rural homes and killed more than 1,000 people. Along with this, hundreds of people were injured. This was followed by another earthquake of similar magnitude, in which one person died and 130 people were injured.
90 percent of those who died in the earthquake were women
UNICEF said that more than 90 percent of those who died in the earthquake were women and children. This is because women and children are often at home, taking care of household responsibilities and caring for children, leading to a large number of deaths. The United Nations earlier reported on the earthquake that six villages in Zenda Jan district were completely destroyed, affecting more than 12,000 people. Many families were completely destroyed in the earthquake and people are afraid of repeated earthquake shocks.
Why are there continuous earthquakes in Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, especially in the western and central parts of the country, where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide. Where the country is surrounded by economic crisis, it is proving to be a big challenge for the Taliban authorities to provide humanitarian aid on a large scale. Relations with international aid organizations have deteriorated since the Taliban invaded Afghanistan in August 2021. However, many countries have sent humanitarian aid.