News Desk:
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan has killed 1000 people and injured thousands others. The mild earthquake struck the Paktika region of Afghanistan in the midnight.
Earthquake tremors were also felt in Peshawar Islamabad and other parts of Pakistan.
Wednesday’s quake was the deadliest since 2002. It struck about 44 km (27 miles) from the southeastern city of Khost, near the border with Pakistan, the US Geological Survey (USGC) said.
The landlocked country’s eastern province of Paktika was the most affected, with reports of significant damage from the areas of Giyan, Nakai, Bermal and Zerak. In Khost province, the area of Seprai bore the brunt of the early morning tremors.
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada expressed grief over the loss of life and directed all concerned officials and departments to take immediate steps to give relief to the affected families.
Most of the confirmed deaths were in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika, where 255 people had been killed and more than 200 injured, said interior ministry official Salahuddin Ayubi.
In Khost province, 25 people had been killed and 90 taken to hospital, he said. “The death toll is likely to rise as some of the villages are in remote areas in the mountains and it will take some time to collect details.”
Authorities had launched a rescue operation and helicopters were being used to reach the injured and take in medical supplies and food, Ayubi added.
