A powerful earthquake struck a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan overnight, collapsing homes onto sleeping families and killing more than 800 people, Taliban authorities confirmed.
The toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
The 6.0-magnitude quake struck just before midnight, shaking buildings as far away as Kabul and neighbouring Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
Widespread destruction and casualties were reported across at least five provinces. Rescuers continued pulling people from the rubble and airlifting the injured by helicopter as evening approached.
“The search operation is still going on. Many people are stuck under the rubble of their roofs,” said Ehsanullah Ehsan, disaster management head in eastern Kunar province. He warned that the death toll could increase further.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said around 800 people were killed and 2,500 injured in Kunar alone, near the epicentre.
In neighbouring Nangarhar province, 12 people were killed and 255 injured, while 58 others were wounded in Laghman province.
Hospitals in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province, received many of the injured, including 22-year-old Zafar Khan Gojar, who was evacuated from Nurgal alongside his brother with a broken leg.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) located the epicentre about 27 kilometres (17 miles) from Jalalabad and said the quake struck at a shallow depth of eight kilometres.
Experts warn that shallow earthquakes can cause greater destruction, especially in Afghanistan where most people live in low-rise, mud-brick houses highly prone to collapse.
