ZINDA JAN, Afghanistan -- Another strong earthquake shook part of western Afghanistan this morning after an earlier quake killed more than 2,000 and flattened whole villages.\r\nThe latest 6.3-magnitude earthquake was about 17 miles outside Herat, the capital of Herat province, and 6 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of Saturday\'s quake was about 25 miles northwest of the provincial capital, and several aftershocks have been strong, including another 6.3-magnitude temblor Saturday.
\r\nAfghan rescuers and villagers had been digging through rubble in western Herat province Tuesday, while elsewhere in the province, people were digging graves for loved ones killed in Saturday\'s quake. On a barren field in the district of Zinda Jan, a bulldozer removed mounds of earth to clear space for a long row of graves.
\r\n"It is very difficult to find a family member from a destroyed house and a few minutes later to bury him or her in a nearby grave, again under the ground," said Mir Agha, from the city of Herat, who had joined hundreds of volunteers to help the locals.
\r\nAcross miles of dusty hills, there was little left of villages besides rubble and funerals.
\r\nIn Naib Rafi, a village that previously had about 2,500 residents, people said almost no one was still alive besides men who were working outside when the quake struck. Survivors worked all day with excavators to dig trenches for mass burials.
\r\nJanan Sayiq, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban government\'s national disaster authority, said the earthquake killed and injured thousands but couldn\'t provide a breakdown for the casualties. Earlier, Taliban officials said more than 2,000 had died across Herat.
\r\nThe United Nations said the Zinda Jan district was the worst-affected area, with 1,294 deaths and 1,688 injuries. In addition, 485 people -- 191 men and 294 women -- are missing. Six schools are also reported to have been destroyed, the U.N. said.
\r\nNearly 2,000 houses in 20 villages were destroyed, the Taliban have said. The area hit by the earthquake has just one government-run hospital.
\r\nAs winter approaches, the new disaster is likely to make it even harder for people to meet basic needs, such as shelter, food and medicine, aid groups have warned.
\r\nIt is not clear how much foreign aid has reached Herat since Saturday. The global response has been slow. Much of the world is wary of dealing directly with the Taliban-led government and focused on the deadly escalation between Israel and the Palestinians after the surprise attack by Gaza militants on Saturday.
\r\nPakistan has pledged to send blankets, tents and medicine, and China is reported to have offered cash and other forms of emergency humanitarian assistance.
\r\nOther foreign governments said they will work with aid agencies on the ground to help with rescue and recovery, and Afghans have launched fundraising campaigns.
\r\nIn a statement, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies urged the media not to turn away from Afghanistan. "Your reporting can bring back attention to Afghanistan and the Afghan people\'s untold stories of resilience and need," an IFRC statement said.
\r\n"Afghanistan needs you -- now more than ever. Please, let\'s not add \'forgotten\' to the long list of tragedies that this resilient nation has already endured," IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa said in the statement.
\r\nThe Taliban\'s justice ministry has urged national and international charity foundations, businesses and Afghans to gather aid for the province.
\r\n"Due to the extent of damages and casualties caused by this incident, a large number of our compatriots in Herat province need urgent humanitarian aid," the ministry said in a statement.
\r\nThe Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and his team visited the earthquake-affected region Monday to deliver "immediate relief assistance" and ensure "equitable and accurate distribution of aid," authorities said.
\r\nDuring his trip, Baradar assured a gathering of officials and elders that the government has mobilized all available resources.
\r\n"Various ministries and departments are working tirelessly to provide urgent assistance and build shelters for those who have lost their homes," Baradar said. He highlighted their commitment to transparently distributing the collected aid to deserving individuals, including the establishment of a dedicated commission.
\r\nInformation for this article was contributed by Rahim Faiez of The Associated Press.
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