The Taliban-led authorities reported a devastating earthquake toll this Monday, describing it as a major emergency. Officials said thousands of people have been affected as the death toll and injuries continue to be counted, with the final figures still uncertain.
At a press briefing in Herat, Mullah Janan Sayeq, spokesperson for the Ministry of Disaster Management of the Taliban administration, cautioned that it is difficult to determine an exact number of casualties. He noted that more than 4,500 people have been reported dead or injured, and that the situation remains in flux as rescue work continues .
The western province has been grappling with a crisis described as a major emergency. Officials explained that resources are scarce and the scale of devastation across more than a dozen towns complicates response efforts in the initial days after the disaster struck on the preceding Saturday.
Residents, volunteers, and survivors are sifting through rubble by flashlight, using small shovels and basic tools to search for traces of clothing or other objects that might indicate the presence of people beneath the debris. The scenes are dire in villages reduced to heaps of earth and rubble, with hope tempered by the hard reality on the ground.
“The regional situation is very urgent, and people need all forms of assistance,” Sayeq said, underscoring the critical need for relief supplies and services in the affected areas.
State authorities report limited machinery and technologies at hand. They say that requests for international rescue support have been hampered by logistical challenges and the Taliban’s isolation, complicating the delivery of aid and equipment to the hardest-hit zones .
Iran has offered to dispatch around twenty rescue teams and two search dogs to assist with operations, while pledges of medicines, food, and emergency kits from various countries are arriving but on a slower pace than needed in some locations .
Officials added that the casualty figures are continually updated. In many villages, residents have been unable to resume normal work as infrastructure remains severely damaged, leaving rescue teams to operate with limited heavy equipment in a landscape of destroyed roads and collapsed homes .
In response to complaints about the lack of first aid, shelter, water, and food, officials reiterated that many people remain buried under rubble and the priority is to reach them and provide critical care, temporary shelter, and sustenance as calculations of the death and injury toll evolve .
Spokespeople urged humanitarian organizations to join the relief effort. They appealed for assistance to reach villages that have been completely destroyed and to provide food, non-food items, and shelter for those in need as quickly as possible .
In the broader region, Afghanistan experienced a sequence of aftershocks on Saturday and again this Monday. The initial tremor occurred at 12:11 local time with a depth of about 14 kilometers, roughly 33 kilometers from Zindah Jan in Herat province, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) .
Three additional earthquakes with magnitudes around 5.1 followed as rescue operations continued, adding to the stress on residents already dealing with the destruction. In Herat city, many people began sleeping outdoors, wary of further quakes and the instability of damaged buildings .
Current estimates place the death toll at around 2,400, with more than 2,000 people injured. The disaster marks the third-deadliest earthquake in Afghanistan since 1998 and ranks as the most severe challenge the Taliban have faced since taking control in August 2021, a period defined by economic isolation and limited access to international reserves and financial channels .
The humanitarian impact continues to unfold as relief operations expand into affected districts. Authorities stress the importance of rapid medical care, shelter, clean water, and nutrition to prevent further loss of life in the days ahead, while international partners coordinate to scale up their response within the constraints of local logistics and governance .”