Rescuers search for survivors as Taliban put Afghan quake toll at 2,400

Herat: Afghan rescue workers scrambled to pull survivors and bodies from beneath the rubble on Monday, two days after the deadliest earthquakes in years hit the northwestern city of Herat and surrounding villages.

The Taliban administration said at least 2,400 people had been killed and many more injured in the quakes, which were among the world's deadliest this year after tremors in Turkey and Syria, in which an estimated 50,000 people were killed.

Periodic aftershocks continued to shake the affected areas on Monday, officials said, forcing already scared people out of their homes.


Neighbours Pakistan and Iran have offered to send rescue workers and humanitarian aid, while China's Red Cross Society offered cash relief. A technical team from Iran has arrived in the area, Mullah Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disaster Management, said during a press conference.

"I ask all countries, to help us in this crucial time," said Sayeeq.

He said people were trapped under rubble in two villages and teams were working to free them.