Afghanistan hit by second earthquake in days

Another earthquake has hit western Afghanistan just days after two large quakes in the same region killed more than 1,000 people. The new 6.3 magnitude quake struck at around 05:10 local time (00:40 GMT) on Wednesday, 28km (17 miles) north of the city of Herat.

More than 100 were injured and sent to hospital, health officials said. The wider impact is not yet clear, but many were sleeping in the open after their homes were destroyed on Saturday.

Aid agencies have said there is also a shortage of blankets, food and other supplies. An eyewitness in central Herat, where some houses still stand, said she woke up screaming and ran out of her home.

"I was in the deepest sleep because I hadn't slept in the days before," she told the BBC. "I have never felt so close to death," she said, adding that she ran barefoot to the outskirts of the city, where many have been sleeping in tents since the first quake.

Saturday morning's earthquake hit Zindajan, a rural district some 40km from Herat. Images from the villages show entire houses, which were too fragile to withstand the tremors, reduced to rubble.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes - especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range as it lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. 

BBC