Massive 6.3-magnitude quake hits Afghanistan, 80 injured

Kabul, Oct 11

Just five days after a massive earthquake struck Afghanistan's Herat province killing more than 2,000 people, another temblor measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale hit the same region on Wednesday, injuring 80 persons.

According to local residents, most of the injured have been taken to hospital from Rubat Sangi district, reports Xinhua news agency.

The epicente of the quake which struck at around 5.10 a.m. on Wednesday morning, is 28 km north of the city of Herat.

The fresh quake comes as rescuers are still digging for survivors of the powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Zindajan, a rural district some 40 km (25 miles) from Herat city, on October 7.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "100 per cent of homes are estimated to have been completely destroyed" , while some villages were totally flattened.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes -- especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range as it lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.