MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russia is preparing humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, which was struck by an earthquake in early October, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told TASS.

"We are preparing humanitarian aid; it will be there. We will make an official announcement when it's ready. It takes time," he said.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reported on October 7 that a 6.2 magnitude earthquake had hit Afghanistan. The epicenter was at a depth of ten kilometers, 42 kilometers northwest of the city of Herat, home to 272,000 inhabitants and the administrative center of Herat Province. More than 2,400 residents were killed and at least 2,000 suffered injuries, according to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority.