Afgan quakes death toll rises ‘to more than’ 2 000

AFGHANISTAN – The death toll from a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan rose sharply Sunday to more than 2 000 as rescuers scrabbled for survivors among the ruins of villages razed to the ground. Saturday’s magnitude 6.3 quake – followed by eight strong aftershocks – jolted hard-to-reach areas 30 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital of Herat, toppling rural homes and sending panicked city dwellers surging into the streets. “Unfortunately, the casualties are practically very high,” deputy government spokesman Bilal Karimi said early Sunday, as the extent of the damage became clear. “The death toll is more than 2 000 people. We are waiting to see how the final figures will turn out,” he told reporters. As night fell Saturday in Sarboland village of Zinda Jan district, an reporter saw dozens of homes ruined near the epicentre of the quakes, which shook the area for more than five hours. Men shovelled through piles of crumbled masonry as women and children waited in the open, with gutted homes displaying personal belongings flapping in the harsh wind. The World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 600 houses were destroyed or partially damaged across at least 12 villages in Herat province, with some 4,200 people affected. “In the very first shake all the houses collapsed,” said 42-year-old Bashir Ahmad. “Those who were inside the houses were buried,” he said. “There are families we have heard no news from.”