Asia | Rubble of a country

Afghanistan’s terrible earthquakes

Over 2,000 have died in the country’s latest calamity

An Afghan boy mourns next to the grave of his little brother, who was killed by an earthquake.
From bad to excruciatingly awfulImage: AP
|ZINDA JAN

Afghans must think their country cursed. In the past two years they have seen the Taliban return to power, a huge cutback in Western aid that has pitched most of the population into poverty—and a series of horrific natural disasters. In recent days powerful earthquakes have devastated over a dozen villages near the western city of Herat, close to the border with Iran. Over 2,000 people are reported to have been killed and many more injured or made destitute.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Rubble of a country ”

From the October 14th 2023 edition

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