On Oct. 7, two 6.3 magnitude earthquakes struck Herat, Afghanistan, killing more than 2,000 people and leaving 2,000 more injured, according to reports from Reuters. 

Four days later, another earthquake with a magnitude of roughly 6.5 struck. On Oct. 15, two more earthquakes broke out, leading to additional civilian deaths. The four earthquakes left over 2,400 people dead and more injured.

According to the United Nations, the first round of earthquakes was recorded as the deadliest natural disaster in Herat in decades. 

Entire villages in the district of Zinda Jan, located outside of the main city, were reduced to rubble and dust, and houses were destroyed around the desert. The damage caused thousands of displaced people to move into tents set up around the city.

Many other buildings such as schools, hospitals, and village facilities were crushed during the disaster and in the earthquakes’ aftershocks. 

Afghanistan lies near three tectonic plates and numerous fault lines, making it vulnerable to such disasters occuring from the frequent movement of the plates. 

The back-to-back earthquakes have caused many of the towns near the city of Herat to be leveled out — all of the buildings in the nearby area collapsed. The four earthquakes, in less than a week, left widespread damage to infrastructure and killed many. 

Many volunteers have served in the area, bringing supplies or searching through the rubble to recover bodies, while others dig mass graves for the victims killed by the natural disaster. Currently, local residents are outnumbered by the number of volunteers. 

Officials are still counting the total number of deaths, with reports that over 90% of people that passed away were women and children. 

The government said that it is working towards protective measures to prevent disasters on such levels in the future.