An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude was recorded 35 km northwest of the city of Herat, Afghanistan on 7th Oct 2023. This was among the world’s deadliest quakes this year after tremors in Turkey and Syria killed an estimated 50,000 in Feb. As per Taliban administration, more than 2400 people were killed on 8th Oct. 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. In June last year, the province of Paktika was hit by a 5.9 magnitude quake which killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless. The quake on Saurday triggered a panic in Herat. A report by WHO said there are a total of 202 public health facilities in Herat province, one of which is a major regional hospital where 500 casualties were taken. A vast majority of the facilities are smaller basic health centres and logistical challenges were hindering operations, particularly in remote areas. Death toll often rises when information comes in from remote parts of a country where decades of war have left infrastructure in shambles, and relief and rescue operations are difficult to organise. Suhail Shaheen, the head of Taliban Political office said that food, drinking water, tents, medicines and clothes were urgently needed for rescue and relief. Diplomats and aid officials say concerns over Taliban restrictions over women and competing global humanitarian crises are causing donors to pull back on financial support. Afghanistan's healthcare system, reliant almost entirely on foreign aid, has faced crippling cuts in the two years since the Taliban took over. International assistance, which had formed the backbone of the economy, has also halted.