Almost 2.000 people have died after earthquakes in Afghanistan on Saturday, according to the Taliban.
The figure is a significant jump from yesterday when the UN gave a preliminary figure of 320.
The 6.3-magnitude quake hit the west of the country, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The epicentre was about 25 miles northwest of the city of Herat.
It was followed by three strong aftershocks, measuring 6.3, 5.9, and 5.5, the USGS reported.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing for hundreds of civilians feared to be buried under the debris.
Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesman for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, has called for urgent help.
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s national disaster authority said four villages in Zenda Jan district in Herat province bore the brunt of the quakes.
In June last year, a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500 more. It was Afghanistan’s deadliest in two decades.
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