Taliban Chiefs Visit Afghan Villages Hit By Deadly Quake

A senior Taliban delegation visited western Afghanistan's Herat province yesterday following the earthquake that killed at least 2,400 people, a statement said. Saturday's magnitude 6.3 quake hit a densely populated area in Herat, and was followed by strong aftershocks. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades.

- RAHIM FAIEZ

Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar and his team visited the quake-affected region yesterday to deliver “immediate relief assistance” and ensure “equitable and accurate distribution of aid”, according to a statement from the capital, Kabul.

The quake also left hundreds of people trapped, and rescuers have been digging with their bare hands and shovels to pull victims – both dead and alive – from under the rubble.

Disaster authority spokesperson Janan Sayiq told reporters in Kabul that so far around 4,000 people were thought to have been killed and injured – without giving a breakdown – and nearly 2,000 houses had been completely destroyed in 20 villages. The United Nations estimated the number of dead and injured to be closer to 2,500. Officials have said that women and children made up two-thirds of the victims.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake’s epicentre was about 25 miles (40km) northwest of the city of Herat, the provincial capital. It was followed by three very strong aftershocks, measuring magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5, as well as lesser shocks. Residents of the city rushed out of their homes again yesterday after another aftershock hit. The USGS said that aftershock was magnitude 4.9.