Kana’ani on Saturday offered his condolences to the Afghan people and caretaker government over the fatal earthquake in Herat province.
The spokesperson wished a speedy recovery for the people injured in the natural disaster, adding Tehran stands with the Afghan people.
The death toll from strong earthquakes in Western Afghanistan is estimated to be 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding that the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson based in Qatar, told Al-Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were underway to save people trapped in debris in the wake of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Herat province.
Shaheen stated there was an urgent need for tents, medical and food items in the areas hit by the disaster, as he appealed to local businessmen and NGOs to come forward to help people in need.
Afghanistan’s disaster management authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said the quake and aftershocks damaged homes in four villages in the Zendeh Jan district in Herat province. There were also reports of widespread damage to houses in the Farah and Badghis provinces.
In June 2022, a powerful quake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan, flattening stone and mud-brick homes. It was Afghanistan’s deadliest earthquake in two decades, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring about 1,500.
