Over 2,000 people died in western Afghanistan on Saturday following a series of earthquakes, some reaching a magnitude of 6.3, The Associated Press reported on Sunday, citing a Taliban government spokesman.
The spokesman, Abdul Wahid Rayan, also reportedly said about six villages in hardest-hit Herat province were destroyed and hundreds of people remained buried under rubble.
A series of powerful earthquakes hit around noon Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Taliban authorities expressed condolences to the families of the dead and injured and vowed prompt aid.
Photo shows a collapsed wall in Herat province, western Afghanistan, following an earthquake on Oct. 7, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Taliban interim government)(Kyodo)
