The death toll in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck western Afghanistan rose to 2,000 on Sunday where around 9,000 people received injuries with many still feared to be trapped under rubble.

The Spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters Mullah Janan Sayeeq told media that 2,053 people were killed while 9,240 injured and 1,329 houses damaged or destroyed in the Saturday earthquake.

Many people are still believed to be under the rubble and the death toll is expected to rise.

The United States Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the Saturday earthquake was 40 kilometers northwest of the Herat city, the provincial capital in Afghanistan’s west.

The earthquake was followed by seven aftershocks of magnitudes between 4.6 and 6.3.

Herat province near the Iran border having an estimated 1.9 million population is being the worst hit.

A Spokesman at the Ministry of Information and Culture Abdul Wahid Rayan in a statement called for urgent international help saying that about six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris.

He called for an urgent need for tents, medical and food items in the areas hit by the disaster.

The Pakistan Foreign Office on Sunday said that Pakistan was deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake in the western regions of Afghanistan that resulted in the tragic loss of life and widespread damage to property.

“We extend our sincerest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and pray for the early and complete recovery of the injured,” the statement added.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan stood in complete solidarity with “our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan” during this difficult time, adding that it will extend all possible support to the recovery effort.

“We are in contact with the Afghan authorities to get a first-hand assessment of the urgent needs of those affected by the earthquake,” the statement concluded.

Source: Kuwait News Agency