According to the Taliban government, significantly fewer people died in the severe earthquake in western Afghanistan around a week ago than initially feared. The Ministry of Civil Protection revised the death toll by more than half to 1,000 on Friday. There had previously been talk of more than 2,400 deaths. The spokesman explained that the information provided so far was based on estimates. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs estimated the number of deaths at around 1,300 on Tuesday.
On Saturday, at least eight earthquakes shook the Afghan province of Herat on the border with Iran within a short period of time. The most violent of these reached a magnitude of 6.3. According to current information, 2,000 people were injured in the quake. A ministry spokesman said that around 1,320 houses were completely destroyed. According to Afghan government officials, the earthquake leveled around 20 villages in the northwest of the country.
The EU is helping with 3.5 million euros
Last Wednesday the earth shook again in Afghanistan. According to the US Earthquake Observatory USGS, the new quake had a magnitude of 6.3 and occurred about 28 kilometers northwest of the city of Herat. The state news agency Bakhtar reported new serious damage, destroyed houses and numerous injuries.
The quakes threaten to further worsen the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country. The fact that Afghanistan has been ruled by the Taliban for two years does not make coordinating relief efforts any easier. In addition, the willingness abroad to help the country has decreased. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) recently warned of a famine in Afghanistan due to a sharp decline in financial resources.
European Union officials said in Brussels on Tuesday that the EU would provide 3.5 million euros in humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Afghanistan. In addition, the EU is offering benefits in kind worth one million euros.