Afghanistan earthquake leaves 2,000 people dead | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An Afghan man removes debris after an earthquake in Zenda Jan district in Herat province, of western Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Powerful earthquakes killed at least 2,000 people in western Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. It's one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. (AP Photo/Omid Haqjoo)

ISLAMABAD -- Men dug through rubble with their bare hands and shovels in western Afghanistan on Sunday, in desperate attempts to pull victims from the wreckage left by earthquakes that killed at least 2,000 people.

Entire villages were flattened, bodies were trapped under collapsed houses and locals waited for help digging people out.

Living and dead, victims were trapped under rubble, their faces gray with dust. A government spokesman said Sunday that hundreds were still trapped, more than 1,000 hurt and more than 1,300 homes destroyed.

"Most people were shocked ... some couldn't even talk. But there were others who couldn't stop crying and shouting," photographer Omid Haqjoo, who visited four villages Sunday, told The Associated Press by phone from Afghanistan's fourth-largest city, Herat.

Saturday's

Paywall

Get unlimited access to the

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

You can cancel anytime.

Unlimited Digital Access

$1 for 8 weeks

Unlimited digital access to the website, app, newsletters and WholeHogSports.com

More details

Your subscription includes SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE content you can't get anywhere else, unlimited stories, a daily digital version of the printed paper and complete access to newsletters. Cancel anytime.

Upcoming Events