At least 12 people were killed after an earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Monday, an official said. The victims died when the roofs of their houses collapsed in the Kandis district of western Badghis province, district governor Mohammad Saleh Perdell told AFP.
Women and children among the victims
The surface quake had a magnitude of 5.3, according to the US Geological Survey. "Several people were also injured by today's earthquake," Perdell said, adding that women and children were among the victims.
Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is already in the throes of a humanitarian disaster, which worsened after the Taliban took power in August, when Western countries froze international aid and access to the country's assets located abroad.
Kandis is one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating drought and has benefited little from international aid over the past 20 years.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the confluence of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
Earthquakes in the country
Earthquakes can cause significant damage to poorly constructed homes and buildings in impoverished Afghanistan.[/P]
In 2015, nearly 280 people were killed when a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck centred on the mountain range that crosses South Asia, with most of the dead coming from Pakistan.
In that disaster, 12 young girls from Afghanistan were killed as they tried to escape a collapsing school building.
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