The earthquake struck at 03:36 (04:36 in Lisbon), with its epicenter 33 kilometers from the city of Herat, in the province of the same name, where one thousand people died in earthquakes recorded earlier this month.
On October 7, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake destroyed entire villages, causing more than a thousand deaths, 90% of them women and children, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Another major earthquake on October 11, whose epicenter was located about 30 kilometers north of Herat, caused panic among the shocked population and caused at least one death and hundreds of injuries.
Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with foreign aid largely withdrawn since the Taliban’s return to power.
Providing more shelter as winter approaches will be a challenge for Taliban officials, who seized power in August 2021 and have strained relations with international aid organizations.
Afghanistan is frequently affected by earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
In June 2022, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Paktika province in the country’s southeast, killing more than a thousand people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.