A pair of 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in Afghanistan have left at least 320 people dead and dozens of others injured as hundreds are feared dead.
Crowds of residents and shopkeepers fled buildings in the city of Herat at around 11:00am local time (06:30 GMT) as the quakes rumbled through the streets. The epicentre was about 25 miles northwest of the city of Herat and was followed by an aftershock with a 5.5 magnitude, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in a report.
"All people are out of their homes. Houses, offices and shops are all empty and there are fears of more earthquakes. Me and my family were inside our home, I felt the quake", Samadi told the Associated Press. The USGS warned that hundreds of fatalities were possible as well as "potentially widespread damage" as past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response.
"We were in our offices and suddenly the building started shaking", 45-year-old Herat resident Bashir Ahmad told Agence France Press (AFP). He continued: "Wall plasters started to fall down and the walls got cracks, some walls and parts of the building collapsed. I am not able to contact my family, network connections are disconnected. I am too worried and scared, it was horrifying."
National Disaster Management Authority spokesman Mullah Jan Sayeq told AFP the initial toll was "preliminary" and he feared it would rise as "in the rural and mountainous areas there have been landslides as well". Mohammad Taleb Shahid, public health director of Herat province also told AFP this is not the final figure and that he believes people are buried under the rubble.
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Herat is considered the cultural capital of Afghanistan and is the official capital of Herat province which is home to an estimated population of 1.9 million. There were five strong aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7, 6.3, 5.9 and 4.6, according to the USGS. Heart province borders Iran. The quake also was felt in the nearby provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.
Telephone connections went down after the quake struck, making it hard to get details from affected areas. Videos on social media showed hundreds of people in the streets outside their homes and offices in Herat city. Herat province borders Iran. The quake also was felt in the nearby provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.
