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An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck northwestern Afghanistan on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey reported. It was followed by four large aftershocks near the epicentre of the quake which was found to be in Herat, the third-largest city in the country, located in the south of Paropamisus Mountains.

The locals fled the building after the first quake struck around 11am local time.

“We were in our offices and suddenly the building started shaking, and wall plasters started to fall down and the walls got cracks, some walls and parts of the building collapsed,” 45-year-old Bashir Ahmad was quoted as saying by AFP.

“I am not able to contact my family, network connections are disconnected. I am too worried and scared, it was horrifying,” he said.

So far, there are no reports of casualties. However, USGS has predicted “significant” possible fatalities, according to AFP.

“Significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread. Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response,” AFP said.

Several aftershocks measuring 5.5, 4.7, 6.3 and 5.9 struck the country after the first earthquake.

This comes days after a 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit Fayzabad in Afghanistan on 3 October.

Earlier on 16 September, a tremor of 4.3 jolted the city.

At least 13 people died and nearly 300 were injured after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan and

In June 2022, over 1,000 people lost their lives and another 1,500 were injured in a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s Paktika province.

The rugged terrain of Afghanistan is prone to seismic activity due to the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian plate to the north, leading to earthquakes.

Over 200 people in Afghanistan and neighbouring northern Pakistan were killed in 2015 when a devastating earthquake struck Afghanistan’s northeast.

In 2002, around 1,000 people were killed in northern Afghanistan by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake. And another 6.1-magnitude earthquake, as well as subsequent tremors, in Afghanistan’s remote northeast, killed at least 4,500 people in 1998.