Afghanistan earthquake: UNGA President offers condolences to victims' families
Oct 08, 2023
New York [US], October 9 : President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Dennis Francis, has expressed his condolences to the victims of the powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan which have caused heavy casualties.
Herat and surrounding regions were shaken by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks on Saturday. The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Herat province in Afghanistan has risen to 2025, Pajhwok News reported on Sunday.
"My deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the earthquake near the city of Herat in Afghanistan. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured and ask for full solidarity with the Afghan people in this time of need," posted the UNGA President on the social media platform, X.
Over 1,200 people have sustained injuries and over 1,320 homes were completely destroyed by the powerful tremors that jolted Afghanistan yesterday.
A representative of the Natural Disaster Management Authority was quoted by Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, as saying that 2,053 people had died and 1,240 more had been injured, reported Pajhwok News.
According to him, 1,320 homes were entirely destroyed, and the number of people in need of rescue is continually growing in the impacted districts.
The province's Zinda Jan and Ghorian districts saw the majority of the fatalities.
Moreover, the Disaster Management Authority head of the region, Maulvi Musa Ashari, told Pajhwok Afghan News the earthquake had razed 12 villages and wounded 600 people in the two districts.
Whereas, the World Health Organisation (WHO), in a post on X, noted that it had sent drugs and supplies to Herat hospitals to help treat the injured. It offered to provide any additional help that was required, according to Pajhwok News.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), six earthquakes occurred in western Afghanistan the largest one was at a magnitude of 6.3. Based on the information from (USGS), the latest earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred at a depth of 7.7 km in the "Zinda Jan district of Herat."
The quake also was felt in the nearby provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, situated near the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
