14 killed and 78 injured as 6.3 magnitude strikes Afghanistan

At least 14 have died and 78 were injured as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Western Afghanistan on Saturday. The epicenter was 40 kilometers northwest of the region's largest city Herat. The major quake was followed by 5 aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7, 6.3, 5.9 and 4.6.

A spokesman from the National Disaster Management Authority said that the initial death toll is just a ‘preliminary’ estimate and is likely to increase due to landslides in rural and mountainous areas. He further stated that they still await all details and information in terms of the death toll.

The United States Geological Survey's preliminary report has also expressed concern over the increase of ‘hundreds of fatalities.’ The USGS report states, “Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response."

Videos of the calamity that surfaced on social media show residents and shopkeepers of the locality spilling onto the streets in panic. "We were in our offices and suddenly the building started shaking. Wall plasters started to fall down and the walls got cracks. Some walls and parts of the building collapsed." 45-year-old Herat resident Bashir Ahmad told AFP.

Afghanistan is no stranger to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which is situated close to where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet. Last year, in June, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit the province of Paktika, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. A magnitude 6.5 quake struck near Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan in March this year, claiming the lives of 13 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.