At least 22 people were killed in two earthquakes that shook Badghis province in western Afghanistan, which shares a border with Turkmenistan, on Monday afternoon, according to a local official.

As the first rescuers arrived at some of the isolated communities affected by the earthquakes in one of Afghanistan's poorest and least developed districts, there were concerns that the death toll might increase.

Numerous residences were devastated by the earthquakes, according to Bas Mohammad Sarwari, director of the province's department of culture and information.

At 2:00 pm, the U.S. Geological Survey recorded an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3. and another of magnitude 4.9 at 4:00. time zone. They were located 50 kilometers (31 miles) southeast and 41 kilometers (25 miles) east of the provincial capital, Qala-e-Naw.

According to Sarwari, terrified locals were escaping their homes in search of protection.

According to Sarwari, the more potent of the temblors struck the southernmost region of the province, Qadis, where the majority of the destruction and fatalities took place. Authorities were still gathering data. Only four villages had been heard from by evening, he claimed. According to him, Muqur district was the epicenter of the initial 4.9 quake.

We have rescue teams and support for the afflicted families planned to be sent tomorrow, he said.

The earthquakes, according to Sarwari, were felt all over the region. In Qala-e-Naw, the province capital, some homes experienced cracks but there were no serious casualties or significant property damage, he added.