PAMARENA ANDA 'A catastrophe is unfolding': 2,000 feared dead in Afghan earthquakes

The death toll from a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan has risen sharply to more than 2,400 people, according to the Taliban government, as rescuers searched for survivors among the ruins of razed villages.

"More than 2,060 people are dead and over 10,000 are injured," a Taliban spokesperson told the Guardian.

"Many more people are still under the rubble." Saturday's magnitude-6.3 quake followed by eight strong aftershocks - jolted hard-to-reach areas 19 miles from the provincial capital of Herat, toppling homes and sending panicked city dwellers into the streets.

"Twelve villages in Zindah Jan and six in Ghoryan district are completely reduced to rubble. We expect the death toll will rise and efforts are under way to take people out," the official said.

"Rescue teams from Helmand and Kandahar have arrived in Herat. The survivors have nothing in the area. They need food, clothes, tents and medicine. The earthquake hit very remote and poor areas. Many of them are refugees who recently arrived back from Iran and Pakistan. We definitely need international help.

Another Taliban official said: "We call on all international aid groups to help us at this time to rescue our countrymen and women's lives. Help us in whatever means you can."

As night fell on Saturday in Sarboland village, Zindah Jan district, an AFP 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 masonry as women and children waited in the open, with gutted homes displaying belongings flapping in the harsh wind.