Magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near Herat on Saturday, with hundreds of houses reported destroyed
The death toll from a series of earthquakes in western Afghanistan rose sharply on Sunday to more than 1,000, according to a Taliban spokesman, as rescuers scrabbled for survivors among the ruins of villages razed to the ground.
As the extent of the damage became clearer, deputy government spokesman Bilal Karimi told Agence France-Presse early on Sunday, “The death toll is more than 1,000 people. We are waiting to see how the final figures will turn out.”
