Afghan Earthquake Damage Expected to Increase... 2,053 Dead, Over 9,000 Injured

Bodies Distributed Across Multiple Hospitals
Death Toll Difficult to Confirm
Over 1,000 Killed in Earthquake Last June

The death toll from the strong earthquake that occurred in Afghanistan on the 7th (local time) continues to rise. Major foreign media reported on the 8th that the death toll from this earthquake has reached 2,053, with 9,240 injured.

Earlier, major foreign media, citing a government spokesperson, reported that the initial death toll was estimated to be around 1,000. However, it has been reported that confirming the exact number of deaths is difficult as bodies are dispersed across multiple hospitals.

The above photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northwestern Afghanistan at around 11:11 a.m. the previous day, followed by eight strong aftershocks ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 6.3. The epicenter was located 40 km northwest of Herat, the capital of Herat Province, with a relatively shallow focal depth of 14 km, which increased the damage.

Herat is located 120 km east of the Iranian border and is considered the cultural capital of Afghanistan. Approximately 1.9 million people live there.

The border area connecting Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India is a region where the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate intersect, making earthquakes frequent around the Hindu Kush mountain range.

In June, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred near the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika, close to the Pakistan border, resulting in about 1,000 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.