Taliban officials reported Monday that a 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan had killed at least 800 people and injured over 1,300 more.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at around midnight local time (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday), 17 miles from the eastern city of Jalalabad, close to the Pakistani border.
According to US seismologists, a powerful earthquake with a Richter scale value of 6.0 occurred late Sunday in Afghanistan’s mountainous Hindu Kush region. In an area known for its seismic activity, the tremor that struck close to the nation’s eastern border with Pakistan raised concerns.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake happened at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), which might occasionally intensify the shaking felt on the surface.
According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at 11:47 p.m. local time (19:17 p.m. GMT). There were no immediate reports of deaths or structural damage, despite the tremor’s intensity and shallow depth.
According to Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the number of fatalities has increased to 800. Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, had earlier reported that 622 verified deaths and over 1,300 injuries had occurred in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar, which contains Jalalabad, and Kunar.
One thousand injured persons have been evacuated and admitted to hospitals, according to the ministry.
