The number of people killed in an earthquake that hit Afghanistan’s Paktika and Khost provinces has reached 1,500, said a Taliban official, APA reports citing Al Jazeera.
According to him, the quake left over 2,000 people injured.
***17.19
Afghanistan was rocked by its deadliest earthquake in decades on Wednesday when a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the country's east, killing more than 1,000 people and wounding many more, according to a regional official, APA reports citing CNN.
The humanitarian disaster comes at a difficult time for the Taliban-ruled country, currently in the throes of a hunger and economic crisis.
The shocks hit at 1:24 a.m. local time on Wednesday (4:54 p.m. ET on Tuesday) around 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) southwest of the city of Khost, which lies close to the country's border with Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake registered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to USGS, which designated it at yellow alert level -- indicating a relatively localized impact.
Most of the deaths were in Paktika province, in the districts of Giyan, Nika, Barmal and Zirok, according to the State Ministry for Disaster Management.
The death toll stands at more than 1,000 and at least 1,500 people have been injured "in Gayan and Barmal districts of Paktika province alone," Mohammad Amin Hozaifa, head of Paktika province's information and culture department, told CNN in a phone call Wednesday.
The official expects the number of casualties to rise as search and effort missions continue.
*** 13:19
The death toll as a result of the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan's Paktika province exceeded 950, APA reports.
Besides, 600 people were injured as a result of the natural disaster.
***10:58
An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 280 people in Afghanistan early on Wednesday, officials said, adding that hundreds of people were injured and the toll was likely to rise as information trickled in from remote mountain villages, APA reports citing Reuters.
The quake struck about 44 km (27 miles) from the city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGC) said.
"Strong and long jolts," a resident of the Afghan capital, Kabul, posted on the website of the European
*** 09:48
At least 255 people are feared dead and hundreds more wounded after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Bakhtar, APA reports citing CNN.
The earthquake hit at 1:24 a.m. about 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) southwest of the city of Khost, which lies close to the country's border with Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The quake registered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to USGS.
Casualties were reported in Barmal, Zirok, Nika and Giyan districts of Paktika province, with more than 500 injured, according to Bakhtar. CNN is unable to independently confirm Bakhtar's reporting.
The agency assigned the quake a yellow alert level, indicating some casualties are possible and that the impact should be relatively localized. Full casualty figures are not yet clear.
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