Afghanistan Hit With Two More Major Earthquakes, One Week After Devastating Quake That Killed 2,000

Two major earthquakes hit Herat Province in northwestern Afghanistan on Sunday, just one week after a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck nearby. 

The two Sunday earthquakes struck just after 8 a.m. local time, with a magnitude of 6.3 and 5.4, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The two temblors killed at least two people and injured 125 others, The New York Times reported, citing a government official. 

The Sunday quakes follow another major earthquake that struck western Afghanistan last weekend, leaving over 2,000 people dead. An overwhelming majority of people killed during that earthquake were women and children, according to estimates from the United Nations. 

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mojahid told CNN that an additional 1,200 people had been injured, and rescue teams were quickly deployed to the area. 

The back-to-back quakes have caused residents of Herat to spiral in fear. Some of them chose to sleep in tents outside due to fear that additional earthquakes would bring down walls in their homes. 

Mohammad Ghaznawi, 30, told The New York Times that he and his wife, believing there would be no other temblors, decided to go back inside their apartment after waking up shivering on Sunday morning. 

Shortly after they relocated inside, the walls began to shake, and the couple rushed outside again with their kids. 

“I’m full of stress, I just want to leave Herat,” said Ghaznawi said.