Afghanistan earthquake: The Taliban asks for help from “wealthy” citizens | At least 2,400 dead and more than 2,000 wounded

more than 2,400 people died More than 2,000 people were infected on Saturday after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake Which shook the Herat region to the west AfghanistanThe Taliban government reported on Sunday.

The earthquake, which occurred on Saturday night, shook areas located 30 kilometers northwest of the city of Herat It was followed by eight strong aftershocks.

“2,053 martyrs were martyred in 13 localities, and 1,240 people were injured. 1,320 homes were completely destroyed“Wrote Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on the social media network X.

Then, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management, Mola Janan Al-Sayeq, stated, “According to new information,… The number of bodies Due to the earthquake it increased to More than 2400 And the More than 2000 injured“.

In the village of Sarbuland in Zinda Jan district, residents search with shovels for survivors among the rubble of homes, while women and children wait in the open among the destroyed homes.

“As soon as the first earthquake happened, all the houses collapsed. Those who were inside the houses were buried. There are families we have no news about.“Bashir Ahmed, a resident of the area, told the news agency France Press agency.

“We returned home and saw that there was nothing left,” the man said regretfully. “Everything had turned into sand.”

The World Health Organization, which is working on the ground to accelerate rescue efforts, care for the injured and move residents to safer areas, warned that “The number of victims is expected to rise as search operations continue..

The Taliban asks for help from “wealthy” citizens.

On Sunday, the Taliban government issued an appeal for help to Afghan businessmen, entrepreneurs and “wealthy” citizens to confront the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake.

“The Ministry of Refugee Affairs is requesting all charities, foundations, national businessmen and other wealthy citizens Providing assistance to those affected in coordination with refugee affairs directorates“, the government announced in a statement.

Frequent earthquakes

Afghanistan witnesses frequent earthquakesEspecially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake killed more than a thousand people and displaced tens of thousands in the impoverished Paktika province in the southeast of the country.

In March, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake killed 13 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan, near the northeastern city of Gorm.