New 6.3 magnitude quake jolts western Afghanistan, kills two more

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake killed two people in western Afghanistan Sunday, with damaged prisons evacuated and residents fleeing a region where tremors have claimed at least 1,000 lives this past week.

The quake series began on October 7 with a 6.3 tremor and eight powerful aftershocks, which devastated rural villages northwest of Herat city and left thousands homeless as winter approaches.Earthquakes are frequent in western and central Afghanistan and are mostly caused by the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates jutting against each other.