At least 120 dead, around 1,000 injured following earthquakes in west Afghanistan

HERAT, Afghanistan - At least 120 people were killed and around 1,000 others injured as earthquakes shocked Afghanistan's Herat and other western provinces, a local official from Herat told reporters.

About 1,000 injured people have been taken to the hospital in the provincial capital Herat city, the official said, adding that 12 villages in Zindajan and Ghorian districts of Herat were destroyed due to the earthquakes, said Mawlawi Musa Ashari, Herat's provincial director for the National Disaster Management Authority.

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, two earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 jolted Afghanistan on Saturday.

Earlier, a statement from the country's National Disaster Management Authority said 15 people were dead and 40 were injured, but locals believe the number of casualties could be higher.

The statement added that the number of casualties may rise since no reports had been received from the Badghis and Farah provinces.

The tremor occurred at around 11:10 local time (0640 GMT), forcing people to come out of their houses, locals said.

Numerous houses have been partially damaged or utterly destroyed in the quakes, the statement said.

Rescue teams have been sent to the affected areas, it said, adding provincial government officials have been instructed to coordinate their necessary efforts with the aid agencies to supply humanitarian assistance to the quake-affected families.