The two earthquakes hit the western part of Afghanistan this morning (Picture: @WHOAfghanistan Twitter/AFP)
Earthquakes in Afghanistan have left at least 15 dead and 40 others injured.
Two 6.3-magnitude earthquakes hit the western part of Afghanistan this morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Its epicentre hit 25 miles northwest of the city of Herat.
The two earthquakes were quickly followed by five aftershocks, ranging in a magnitude from 5.5 to 4.6, reported the USGS.
The current death toll and injury figures are based on primary reports from the Zinda Jan district of Herat province, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s ministry of disaster management said.
‘All people are out of their homes,’ said Abdul Shakor Samadi, a resident in the city of Herat. ‘Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes.’
Residents come outside to a street after an earthquake rocked the city of Herat, Afghanistan (Picture: Shutterstock)
The two earthquakes were followed by several aftershocks (Picture: @WHOAfghanistan Twitter)
Makeshift hospital beds have been set up (Picture: @WHOAfghanistan Twitter)
‘Me and my family were inside our home, I felt the quake,’ he said, adding that his family began shouting and ran outside and are afraid to go back in.
There has been no immediate comment from Taliban government officials on possible casualties or damage.
Telephone connections are down, causing difficulties in obtaining precise details from the impacted areas.
But social media videos show hundreds of people in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat.
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The earthquake has also been felt in the nearby provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.
A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes in June 2022
It was Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500.
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