Afghanistan quake kills over 2,000: A look back at the country's deadliest temblors in the last 30 years

Afghanistan was rocked by a strong earthquake, leaving a trail of death and destruction. On Saturday, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake with powerful aftershocks killed numerous civilians and damaged property in western Afghanistan. The first quake was followed by eight strong aftershocks as well as minor tremors, as per an AFP report. These seismic events are the deadliest in several years in the earthquake-prone mountainous region. According to the US Geological Survey, the main earthquake struck around 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Herat, the capital of Herat province, that killed more than 2,053 people and injured more than 9,000. The earthquakes come after temblors killed an estimated 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria in February. In September, earthquakes in Morocco killed about 3,000 people. Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. Death tolls often rise when remote locations are hit, and decades of war have left infrastructure in a shambles, making relief and rescue operations difficult. [caption id=“attachment_13220502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A man carries a body of his child, in the aftermath of an earthquake in the district of Zinda Jan, in Herat, Afghanistan. Reuters[/caption] Here is a list of Afghan quakes over the past three decades: Badakhshan, 2023 A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the sparsely populated northeastern province of Badakhshan, 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Jurm village, killing at least 13 people in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan. Kunar, September 2022 As Afghanistan was recovering from strong earthquakes three months earlier, tremors hit Kunar province in September, killing eight. Paktika, June 2022 A magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed 1,036 people in the eastern province of Paktika, causing widespread damage and forcing Afghanistan to appeal for international aid. Hindu Kush, 2015 A quake of magnitude 7.5, one of the largest in Afghanistan’s recorded history, killed 399 people in Afghanistan and neighbours Pakistan and India. Hindu Kush, 2002 Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100. Hindu Kush, 1991 An earthquake in the Hindu Kush killed 848 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Soviet Union. Qayen, 1997 A magnitude 7.2 quake on the border of Afghanistan and Iran killed more than 1,500 in both countries and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Takhar, February-May 1998 Mohammadi has also been awarded other prominent prizes in the West for her work, such as the 2023 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award in May 2023. An earthquake in the remote northeastern province of Takhar killed at least 2,300 people, with some estimates ranging as high as 4,000. Three months later, a quake of magnitude 6.6 in the same region killed 4,700. With inputs from Reuters