KABUL: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 on the Richter Scale jolted Afghanistan on Sunday, the National Center for Seismology stated.

Notably, this is the third earthquake to strike the impoverished nation in quick succession and comes just a week after a strong earthquake in Herat province claimed over 4,000 lives.

According to NCS, the earthquake occurred at 9:26 am (IST) at a depth of 10 kilometres. "Earthquake of Magnitude: 5.4, Occurred on 15-10-2023, 09:26:34 IST, Lat: 34.24 & Long: 62.55, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Afghanistan," the NCS posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Earlier, an earthquake of magnitude 4.6 hit Afghanistan on October 13. Another earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale jolted Afghanistan on October 11.

Last week, the earthquake in the Herat province of Afghanistan claimed more than 4,000 lives and destroyed thousands of residential houses, Khaama Press reported citing the Taliban-led ministry. Herat and surrounding regions were shaken by the magnitude 6.3 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks on Saturday.

The Taliban-led Ministry of Disaster Management of Afghanistan has announced that 1,983 residential houses have also been destroyed in 20 villages in Herat on Saturday. The Taliban has not yet broken down the number of deaths and injuries brought on by the earthquake in Herat