A powerful earthquake in Herat, Afghanistan on 7th October 2023.

On 7 October 2023 at around 11:00 local time, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 40 kilometres west of Herat City in Herat Province, western Afghanistan. The initial quake could be felt in neighboring Badghis and Farah Provinces. Several powerful aftershocks followed.

On 11 October, another powerful earthquake of the same strength as the first one hit Herat province at 05:11 local time, followed by two aftershocks of magnitude 5 and 4.1.

At the time of writing (13 October), more than 1,300 people were reportedly killed, 1,800 injured and 19,250 (3,197 families) impacted in seven districts of Herat Province, including Zindajan, Injil, Kushk / Rabat-e-Sangai, Ghulan, Herat, and Khosan.

These figures are expected to rise as humanitarian partners continue to assess communities.

The earthquakes have further exacerbated the situation of already vulnerable communities, who are now grappling with the loss of many lives, homes and livelihoods. Among them are many returnee refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who had been displaced as a result of previous natural disasters and conflict and had returned and are now forced to start over once again.