Rescue efforts continue in quake-hit Afghanistan

Rescue operations continue after two powerful earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday. The two magnitude-6.3 quakes killed at least 2,000 people and flattened more than 2,000 houses.

In the hardest-hit province of Herat, there are some communities where almost all buildings collapsed, leaving residents trapped. It’s hard to determine how many were killed or remain missing in those areas. Time was running out for survivors trapped under the rubble as rescue efforts near the crucial 72-hour mark. Experts say, the chance of survival in a disaster drops substantially after the first 72 hours.

The father of a three-month-old girl said his daughter was still trapped under his collapsed house. The Herat resident said he was deeply saddened by casualties, adding that many women and children were at home at the time of the quakes, while most men were working outside.