At least 1,000 dead and 600 injured following Afghanistan earthquake

At least 1,000 people have been killed and 600 injured after a strong earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan early this morning, a government spokesperson said.

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the remote and mountainous area of Khost near the border with Pakistan, flattening homes and leaving people trapped beneath the rubble.

A Taliban government spokesman said the death toll had risen to 1,000 from its earlier count of around 300 as more information trickled in from rural parts of the Paktika and Khost provinces hit by the temblor.

The #EarthQuakeAfghanistan has absolutely devastated rural communities in Southeast #Afghanistan. Dead bodies are continuously being pulled out the rubble. #SavePaktika pic.twitter.com/DzlWEnI7LA

— Sangar | سنګر پیکار (@paykhar) June 22, 2022

Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, head of the government media and information centre, said in an on-camera statement that at least 500 more people were injured. Rescue efforts had been launched, but some of the areas affected were in remote locations.

Much of the international community has left Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover last year, which may complicate relief efforts. The chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. military from the longest war in its history also led to difficulties in the country.

United Nations coordinator in Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, said in a tweet that U.N. officials were "assessing the needs and responding in the aftermath of the earthquake."

Offering condolences to the families of those killed, Alakbarov said "response is on its way."

Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, gave no specific death toll but wrote on Twitter that hundreds of people were killed and injured in the earthquake, which shook four districts in Paktika.

“We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe,” he wrote.

Mountainous areas of Afghanistan are vulnerable to earthquakes, suffering several major temblors in recent years. In 2015, at least 385 people were killed after an earthquake struck the country's northeast and neighbouring northern Pakistan.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake in 2002 killed around 1,000 people in northern Afghanistan, while in 1998, a 6.1 magnitude temblor and subsequent tremors in northeast Afghanistan left at least 4,500 people dead, according to The Associated Press.

Pakistan leader Imran Khan offered his condolences in a tweet, stating that he asked the government to facilitate the provision of medical assistance.

My condolences & prayers go to the Govt & people of Afghanistan for the loss of lives suffered in the earthquake. I have asked the KP Govt to especially facilitate provision of all medical assistance.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 22, 2022

Donate to Afghanistan's global relief fund here.