Afghanistan Earthquake Kills Many
Noriko Watanabe and Sawako Uchida
Modern Tokyo Times
The Taliban said the death toll from the earthquake in Afghanistan continues to rise. Accordingly, the international community needs to support the Taliban government despite the political angle.
The earthquake’s magnitude was 6.3 when it struck western Afghanistan. It struck northwest of Herat.
Neighboring provinces in Badghis and Farah also felt the power of the earthquake.
CNN reports, “The country has long been one of Asia’s poorest and has been ravaged by conflict for decades. But its ability to respond to natural disasters has been further hampered since the Taliban seized power in 2021 following the chaotic US withdrawal, an event that saw many international aid groups pull out.”
It isn’t known how many people have died because of conflicting reports. Some media agencies are reporting that over 2,400 have died.
However, the BBC says, “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 United Nations said, “Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings.”
Takashi Okada – the Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan – said he was “deeply grieved and saddened to learn the news of the earthquake in Herat province.”
A Taliban spokesperson said, “Twelve villages in Zindah Jan and six in Ghoryan district are completely reduced to rubble. We expect the death toll will rise and efforts are under way to take people out….Rescue teams from Helmand and Kandahar have arrived in Herat.”
The international community must help Afghanistan.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi’s website and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times