Rescue efforts continue as villagers search for loved ones, but lack of resources hampers relief efforts.

Survivors of the powerful earthquakes that struck western Afghanistan on Saturday have spent a second night sleeping in the ruins of their villages, desperately searching for loved ones buried beneath the rubble. With the death toll now approaching 3,000, according to Taliban officials, the scale of the devastation continues to unfold.

In the regional capital of Herat city, many residents slept in public parks and on the streets, fearing aftershocks following the tremors of magnitude 5.9, 4.9, and 4.7 that struck on Monday. The series of quakes, including the initial 6.3-magnitude tremor followed by eight aftershocks, caused widespread damage, particularly in rural areas near Herat. The Taliban government is struggling to provide adequate assistance as its rescue teams reach outlying villages for the first time since the disaster.

“We are still concerned there may be additional casualties,” said a Taliban official. Local rescue operations continue, with both military personnel and civilians working together to unearth survivors, but many villages remain completely flattened, with people still trapped under debris.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been exacerbated by the Taliban’s strained relations with international aid organizations, particularly following the group’s ban on women working for NGOs and the UN. This has left the country ill-prepared to handle the scale of the disaster. Health facilities are overwhelmed, with morgues exceeding their capacity and medical staff struggling to manage the influx of injured. “Vans filled with dead bodies are arriving here each minute,” said one medic at Herat hospital.

Shakib, a Herat resident, described the harrowing conditions: “We’ve spent the last two nights in the desert. My son is ill, but there’s nowhere to take him for treatment.” Many others in Herat and the surrounding areas face similar challenges, with limited access to healthcare and shelter.

Rescue operations remain difficult due to the lack of proper equipment. The Taliban’s rescue efforts, including the use of bulldozers to clear rubble, have raised concerns over inadvertently endangering survivors. Fereydon, a local resident, noted, “While the Taliban rescue teams are trying to assist, their use of bulldozers may be putting survivors at further risk.”

The International Rescue Committee has warned that the inadequate resources and lack of proper rescue tools could increase the death toll in the affected areas, as trapped survivors struggle to get the help they need. Meanwhile, the United Nations has dispatched ambulances and medical teams to assist in the hardest-hit districts, including Zenda Jan, but the scale of the disaster continues to overwhelm both local and international aid efforts.