A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck a remote area of western Afghanistan early Monday, hitting around 22 miles southwest of the city of Herat near the Iranian border. Video footage from the area showed houses reduced to rubble and people digging through debris for survivors with their bare hands. Earthquakes can cause serious damage in Afghanistan given the country's largely rural, agrarian population and weak construction practices. Poor communications and remoteness make it difficult to quickly assess damage from such quakes. Relief efforts will likely be complicated by Afghanistan's ongoing humanitarian crisis since the Taliban takeover.