The death toll from a series of devastating earthquakes in western Afghanistan has surged to over 2,000, making it one of the most lethal seismic events in the nation in two decades, according to a Taliban government spokesperson. Initial estimates from Afghanistan’s national disaster authority reported dozens of fatalities following a 6.3-magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks on Saturday. However, Abdul Wahid Rayan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, said hundreds of civilians were buried under debris as six villages were razed.
The United Nations initially reported 320 deaths. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 465 houses have been destroyed and 135 damaged. With people possibly trapped under collapsed buildings, the death toll is expected to rise.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, called for immediate aid. Communication lines in Herat are down, impeding rescue efforts. The World Health Organization dispatched 12 ambulances to the hardest-hit area, Zenda Jan in Herat province.