Two earthquakes struck a remote, mountainous area of western Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and destroying hundreds of homes, officials said on Tuesday.
The death toll in west Afghanistan has risen to 27 after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake , a provincial official said Tuesday.
The latest figures by local sources showed that 27 between Men, women and children were killed, many of whom had been inside the buildings.
At least 1,000 houses were destroyed in Qadis, neighboring Muqur district as well as in the provincial capital Qala-e-Naw, according to the official.
The earthquakes occurred on Monday after three days of heavy rainfall, which left mud-brick houses vulnerable along the mountain slopes, said Baz Mohammad Sarwari, a spokesman for the governor in Badghis Province, near the border with Turkmenistan.
“Local authorities were paying visits and monitoring the situation in affected areas in Badghis. They will try to coordinate the delivery work of relief assistance to the affected people,” the official said.
Earlier reports said 12 people lost their lives following the quake which occurred Monday afternoon in the mountainous region.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit 40 km east of Qala-e-Naw, the provincial capital of Badghis which borders Turkmenistan.
The epicenter, with a depth of 10.0 km, was initially determined to be at 34.9479 degrees north latitude and 63.5686 degrees east longitude, it said.
Several aftershocks were also felt in the region.