According to the nation’s official news agency, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that slammed south-east Afghanistan has killed at least 255 people.
“A severe earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our countrymen and destroying dozens of houses,” Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, wrote on Twitter. “We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe.”
The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake occurred early on Wednesday morning local time, with its epicentre close to the town of Khost south of the capital, Kabul.Near the Pakistani border, the earthquake occurred about 44 kilometres (27 miles) from the city of Khost.
It was strong,” said a resident of the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. Helicopters were being utilised by the authorities to reach the injured and provide food and medical supplies, he added.
According to the EMSC’s Twitter post, 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India experienced shaking.
Afghanistan’s Bakhtar news agency reported on Wednesday morning that at least 255 people had died and 155 had been injured in the Paktika province’s Barmala, Ziruk, Naka, and Gayan districts. Rescue groups were being airlifted into the disaster zones.
