A magnitude 6.2 earthquake rocked western Afghanistan on Saturday morning, as the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The quake’s epicenter was close to the region’s largest city.
Epicenter and Aftershock:
The USGS indicated that the earthquake’s epicenter was located around 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Herat, Afghanistan’s largest city in the west.
Following the initial quake, an aftershock measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale was also recorded.
Impact and Response:
An AFP journalist in Herat reported that residents and shopkeepers fled buildings when the earthquake struck around 11:00 a.m. (0630 GMT). However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant structural damage.
Prior Earthquake:
In June of the previous year, a devastating 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the impoverished province of Paktika in Afghanistan, resulting in over 1,000 fatalities and displacing tens of thousands. It was the deadliest earthquake in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century.
Frequent Earthquakes in Afghanistan:
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the convergence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
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