Earthquake In Herat Leaves 4000 Killed & Injured, Says Taliban

The Taliban's State Ministry for Disaster Management announced that 4,000 people were killed and injured in Herat province due to the earthquake on Saturday.

During a press conference in Kabul, officials of the ministry said that 1,983 houses in 20 villages of Herat were "completely" destroyed.

Once again, the Taliban did not separate the number of dead and injured.

Taliban’s Disaster Management Ministry in a statement also said that 35 national and international search and rescue teams with 1,000 personnel are present at the earthquake-affected sites.

The group added that a delegation representing Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, also went to Herat and promised assistance to the victims of the earthquake.

The Taliban said that the rescue operations are still ongoing.

According to the Taliban, Iranian technical teams have also reached the earthquake-affected areas.

According to the statement, China, Japan, Iran, Pakistan, the European Union, and the World Health Organisation have pledged financial, food, and medical aid to the victims of the earthquake. The Taliban said that Iran and Turkey's aid had already reached Herat.

As per the statement, residents of Khost, Kandahar, Paktia, Nimroz, Nangarhar, Wardak, and Farah provinces have expressed their intention to provide financial contributions, as well as donations of food and non-food items to support Herat.

The Taliban also stated that several charity institutions, businessmen, and several Pakistani personalities have donated about 32.35 million Afs for the victims.

According to the statement, 100 million Afs was also donated by the Taliban Prime Minister's Office. Azizi Foundation has also allocated 300 million Afghanis to help the victims of the earthquake.