Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred in western Afghanistan, near the border with Iran. On Sunday morning it became known that the death toll had risen sharply - authorities say more than 2,000 were killed, and more than 9,000 were injured. And this figure is not final, Delfi news agency reported.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 40 km from the western city of Herat, the tremors began around 11:00 local time (08:30 Moscow time).

Many buildings were damaged, people were trapped under rubble, and there were at least three powerful aftershocks.

Survivors say the office buildings first began to shake and then collapsed.

“We were in our offices and suddenly the building started shaking. The plaster on the walls began to fall off, cracks appeared, some walls and parts of the building collapsed,” Herat resident Bashir Ahmad told AFP.

“I can’t contact my family, my mobile connection doesn’t work. I’m very worried and scared, it was terrible,” he added.

Emergency services spokesman Mosa Ashari told reporters: "To date, according to our data, more than a thousand women, children and senior citizens have been injured and about 120 people have died."

On Sunday morning it became known that the death toll had risen sharply - authorities say more than 2,000 dead. “Unfortunately, the number of victims is actually very high,” deputy government spokesman Bilal Karimi said Sunday morning.

“The death toll is more than 2,000 people. We are waiting to see what the final numbers turn out to be,” he told AFP.

Images from the Injil area of Herat showed debris from destroyed buildings blocking roads, hampering rescue efforts.

Herat is located 120 km east of the border with Iran and is considered the cultural capital of Afghanistan.

According to 2019 World Bank data, the province is home to about 1.9 million people.