HERAT, Afghanistan – Another strong earthquake rocked western Afghanistan on Sunday injuring hundreds and claiming at least two lives, making the fourth magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the region over the past two weeks.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake was measured north-northwest of Herat at a depth of 4 miles just after 8 a.m. This quake was the result of thrust faulting at shallow depths near the far western terminus of the Hindu Kush Mountain range, according to the USGS.
Medical teams with MSF Afghanistan report more than 100 people with injuries from the earthquake were being treated at Herat Regional Hospital. At least two people died as a result of the latest earthquake, according to the medical humanitarian organization.
This earthquake came after three other magnitude 6.3 quakes in previous days, including on Oct. 11 and back-to-back quakes on Oct. 7, according to the USGS. The death toll is still rising from 2,400 after the first in the series of strong earthquakes.
The consecutive tremors following the initial 6.3-magnitude earthquake lasted for five days.
“With fewer tremors felt over the last few days, the people of Herat had been hopeful that the earthquakes were subsiding, allowing them to begin rebuilding their lives. Unfortunately, this latest Herat Earthquake has only heightened their anxiety,” MSF Afghanistan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The recent earthquakes damaged many cultural and architectural history sites in Herat, including destroying parts of the Herat Grand Mosque, among the largest mosques in the world, and the Herat Fortress, which dates back to the time of Alexander the Great.