At least 500 killed after earthquake hits Afghanistan, state broadcaster says

At least 500 people have been killed and 1,000 others injured after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan, the country's state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) has said.

The earthquake struck the country's northeastern province of Kunar near the Pakistan border at 11.47pm local time (8.17pm UK time) on Sunday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences said.

Rescuers are working in several districts of the mountainous province where the quake hit.

Hundreds of injured people have been taken to hospital, a local official said, with figures likely to rise.

The quake's epicentre was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, at a depth of 14km (8.7 miles). Jalalabad is about 119km (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul.

There was a second earthquake in the same province about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10km (6.2 miles). This was later followed by a 5.2 earthquake at the same depth.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: "Sadly, tonight's earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces.

"Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people.
Support teams from the centre and nearby provinces are also on their way."

According to early reports, 30 people were killed in a single village, the health ministry said.

"The number of casualties and injuries is high, but since the area is difficult to access, our teams are still on site," said health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake and strong aftershocks struck Afghanistan on 7 October 2023.

The country's Taliban government said at least 4,000 people had been killed, but the United Nations said the death toll was around 1,500.

The 2023 earthquake is considered the deadliest natural disaster to hit Afghanistan in recent memory.

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