Media reports say another 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan's western province of Herat today morning after an earlier quake killed more than 2,000 and flattened whole villages. Authorities reportedly redeployed relief and rescue teams already in the field following a series of deadly quakes on Saturday.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the latest 6.3-magnitude earthquake was about 28 kilometers outside Herat, the capital of Herat province, and 10 kilometers deep.
There were no early details on casualties caused by the latest quake.
Reuters says Taliban officials said Saturday's tremors killed at least 2,400 people. The epicenter of Saturday's quake was about 40 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, and several aftershocks have been strong, including another 6.3 magnitude Saturday.
Afghanistan’s TOLOnews reported that Naib Rafi village in Zindajan district of Herat was the most affected from the Saturday’s quake. Some victims reportedly lost all their family members. The village was destroyed completely, according to TOLOnews.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that in Naib Rafi, a village that previously had about 2,500 residents, people said almost no one was still alive besides men who were working outside when the quake struck. Survivors reportedly worked all day with excavators to dig long trenches for mass burials.
On a barren field in the district of Zindajan, a bulldozer reportedly removed mounds of earth to clear space for a long row of graves.
According to AP, nearly 2,000 houses in 20 villages were destroyed. The area hit by the quakes has just one government-run hospital.
