Another earthquake struck the western part of Afghanistan. The magnitude of the quake, which hit the western city of Herat, was 6.3 on the Richter scale. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties in the earthquake.
British media BBC reported this information in a report on Sunday (October 15).
According to the report, after two big earthquakes in the western part of Afghanistan a few days ago, another earthquake struck. More than 1,000 people were killed in the quake that struck a week ago.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the western city of Herat in Afghanistan. The earthquake struck at a depth of 6.3 km (four miles) below the surface.
The BBC says there have been no reports of casualties since the latest quake. However, the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said that more than 90 percent of those who died in previous earthquakes were women and children.
The latest tremor was centered 30 kilometers northwest of Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, near the border with Iran, the USGS said in its report.
Earlier on Saturday of last week at around 11 am local time, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck the western province of Herat. The earthquake was followed by five major aftershocks; whose center was near the largest city in the region.
According to officials, 12 villages in Zinda Jan and Ghorian districts were completely destroyed. Later, the country’s ruling Taliban administration said the death toll from the earthquake had risen to 2,445.
Herat has a 120 km border with Iran to the east. This city is considered as the cultural capital of Afghanistan. According to World Bank data, 1.9 million people live in Herat city, the capital of Herat province.
The press reports that Afghanistan, surrounded by mountains, has a history of strong earthquakes. Earlier in June of last year, more than 1,000 people lost their lives in an earthquake measuring 5.9 magnitude in Paktika province of Afghanistan. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in decades, the country’s disaster management authority said at the time.
In addition, in March of this year, a strong earthquake of 6.5 magnitude struck the border area of Afghanistan and Pakistan. At least 13 people were killed in this earthquake in two countries.
Afghanistan is often hit by earthquakes due to its location near the junction of the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Eurasian-Indian tectonic plate.
