An official said that a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 14 people and wounding 78 others.
He predicted that the death toll would rise due to reports of people buried beneath collapsed buildings.
According to a USGS preliminary report, hundreds of deaths were possible.
The epicentre occurred 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Herat, according to the United States Geological Survey, and was followed by five aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.5, 4.7, 6.3, 5.9, and 4.6.
Herat, located 120 kilometres east of the Iranian border, is considered Afghanistan’s cultural capital.
The initial quake’s magnitude had previously been reported as 6.2 by the USGS. As per the USGC, it had a shallow depth of just 14 kilometres.
Crowds of women and children stood out in Herat’s wide streets, away from tall structures, in the seconds following the first quake and aftershocks that lasted more than an hour.
According to a Taliban government spokesperson, crowds of residents and shops evacuated buildings in the city at around 11:00 am (0630 GMT) as the quakes began, causing 25 injuries and one fatality.
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