Strong earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on October 7, leaving at least 2,060 people dead, the Associated Press reports.
“The death toll from the powerful earthquakes that rocked western Afghanistan has risen to more than 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said on Sunday. “This is one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit the country in two decades,” the official said in a statement on Sunday.
The powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake was accompanied by strong aftershocks. Approximately six villages were destroyed and hundreds of civilians were buried under the rubble, an Afghan official said.
Initially, several hundred deaths were reported, but now the number has risen to 2,060, according to official figures.
The UN expects the death toll to rise as search and rescue operations continue and there are reports that some people may have been trapped in the rubble.
The earthquake destroyed 465 buildings and damaged another 135.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 40 kilometers northwest of the Afghan city of Herat. It was followed by three very strong aftershocks, as well as weaker tremors.
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 has struck central Morocco, killing at least 296 people, BBC News reported.
According to the country’s interior ministry, people died in Marrakech and several areas to the south. “According to a preliminary report, the earthquake killed 296 people in the provinces and municipalities of Al-House, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Azilal, Chichaoua and Taroudant,” the statement said, adding that 153 people were injured and hospitalized.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71 km (44 miles) southwest of Marrakech, at a depth of 18.5 km. The earthquake struck at 23:11 local time (22:11 GMT). A 4.9 magnitude aftershock occurred 19 minutes later.
In several videos on the network X (Twitter) shows how buildings collapsed, but their location could not be determined, writes BBC News. It is reported that local residents have decided to stay out of their homes in case the powerful tremors are repeated.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.1 on the Richter scale was recorded in the area of the Vrancea mountains in Romania on Sunday, the Main Center of Special Control reported.
“On June 17, 2023 at 13:13:06 (Kiev time), the Main Special Control Center registered an earthquake from the territory of Romania, in the area of the Vrancea Mountains, with a magnitude of 4.1 (on the Richter scale),” the SCSC said in a Facebook post on Saturday.
This earthquake is reportedly classified as barely perceptible according to the earthquake classification. The vibrations are only felt by individuals who are calm indoors, especially on the upper floors. This earthquake does not pose a threat to the population of Ukraine.
The last powerful earthquakes from the Vrancea area were registered on December 16 and 17, 2022 with magnitudes of 4.1 and 4.4, (on the Richter scale), respectively.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 2.7 was recorded in the Poltava region on May 26 at 21:38, the epicenter was in the Reshitilovsky district, the website of the Main Special Control Center of the National System of Seismic Observations reported.
“In the Poltava region recorded an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.7. The epicenter of the earthquake is located in Reshitilovsky district, Poltava region, to the west of Poltava, at a depth of 7 km. According to the classification of earthquakes is classified as barely perceptible. Fluctuations can be felt only by individuals who are in a quiet state inside, especially on the upper floors”, – stated in the message.
It is noted that similar in strength earthquakes in the Poltava region have been previously recorded, in particular, the last of them was on January 14, 2023 with a magnitude of 2.7, and on October 3, 2022 with a magnitude of 3.4.
The number of victims of earthquakes that occurred in early February in the south-east of Turkey has reached nearly 46 thousand people, the country’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
“So far, 45,968,000 people have died as a result of earthquakes, including 4,267 Syrians,” Anadolu Agency quoted him as saying.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Turkey on the night of February 6, followed by a series of echo pushes, one of which had a magnitude of 7.6. The earthquake also caused serious damage and casualties in neighboring Syria.
The Main Special Control Center reports that the earthquake was registered on February 27 at 03:15:39 Kiev time, 19 km to the west of Mukachevo at a depth of 2 km.
According to experts, an earthquake of such magnitude poses no threat to the population, but is classified as highly perceptible, especially inside a building.
This is confirmed by the comments of local residents.
