6.3 magnitude earthquake shakes northwestern Afghanistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Another powerful earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted northwestern Afghanistan on Sunday, following similar quakes last weekend.

The US Geological Survey said the latest quake's epicenter was about 34 kilometers (21 miles) outside Herat, a provincial capital, and 8 kilometers (5 miles) below the surface.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or infrastructure damage so far.

A statement from Afghanistan's Information Ministry, run by the interim Taliban administration, said the quake shook Herat and adjoining provinces, knocking out electricity in most of the Herat province.

Herat, which borders Iran and is known as the country’s cultural capital, has been hit by a series of earthquakes over the past week.

Powerful earthquakes on Oct. 7 flattened villages and killed over 2,000 people, apart from injuring thousands in the region, in one of the worst quakes seen in the country in recent years.

More than 90% of the people killed in last week’s quake were women and children, Siddig Ibrahim, the head of UNICEF’s field office in Herat, said on Thursday.

Most of the men were away working in the fields or elsewhere, leaving women doing chores and children at home when buildings collapsed, he explained.