More than 600 people were killed and hundreds more were injured by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Afghanistan near its border with Pakistan, the national broadcaster reported Monday.
The temblor struck late Sunday near Jalalabad, a city of some 270 000 people located 74 miles east of the capital Kabul, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter of the strike was at a depth of about five miles, some 17 miles west of Jalalabad and 27 miles south of Markaz-e Woluswali-ye Achin.
The death toll early Monday was at 610 people with 1 300 injured, Mufti Abdul Matin Qani, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said, RTA reported, though casualty numbers are expected to rise.
Sharafat Zaman Amar, spokesman for the ministry of health, said on X that several villages have been “completely destroyed.”
He said the main area affected was Nurgal, where preliminary figures have yet to be reported. Rescue operations are still ongoing there, he said.
There have been several aftershocks, according to the USGS, with some rated higher than a magnitude of 5.0.
Shaking has been felt as far as Lahore, Peshawar, Mardan and Murree, Pakistan’s Geo News reported.
Takayoshi Kuromiya, the Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan, issued his condolences in an English-language statement.
“Deeply grieved and saddened to learn the news of earthquake in the eastern part of Afghanistan,” he said. “I sincerely wish for the quick rescue and search operations as well as the quick recovery of those who are affected. Japan is monitoring the situation and stands ready to support the affected people.” (UPI)
