Afghanistan hit by earthquake of magnitude 6.3 days after tremors killed over 2,000

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday, as reported by the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ).

The tremors were felt at a depth of 10 km, with no immediate reports of casualties or property damage. This follows a series of earthquakes in the same region on Saturday that killed over 2,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

These tremors were among the deadliest globally this year, second only to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria that claimed around 50,000 lives. Mullah Saiq, spokesperson for Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), confirmed that the casualty count from Saturday's quakes has surpassed 4,000, with nearly 2,000 homes in about 20 villages completely destroyed.

The United Nations humanitarian office has announced $5 million in aid for the quake response. However, Afghanistan's healthcare system, largely dependent on foreign aid, has been severely impacted in the last two years due to the Taliban takeover and the consequent halt in international assistance.

The World Health Organization's emergency response head stated that, along with medical and food aid, survivors urgently need shelter as temperatures drop.

Also read : Afghanistan Earthquake: Death toll crosses 2,000 mark; Taliban seeks help from local organisations