Hundreds of people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake hit western Afghanistan, near the Iranian border.
The Taliban government initially said the death toll could be more than 2,000, but later clarified that this number included injured people as well.
The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated at least 12 villages near the city of Herat on Saturday.
There were powerful aftershocks. Survivors described their terror as buildings collapsed around them.
Rescue teams worked through the night trying to find survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
Thousands of people have been injured. In a country with sorely inadequate medical facilities, hospitals are struggling to treat the injured. The UN and other organisations have begun to rush in emergency supplies.
The earthquake struck about 40km (25 miles) north-west of Herat at around 11:00 local time (06:30 GMT) on Saturday.
The worst affected communities are remote and consist of mud structures. “In the very first shake all the houses collapsed,” Herat resident Bashir Ahmad, whose family lives in the one of the villages, told AFP news agency.
Credit: bbc.com
