A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck Afghanistan, with fears 100s have been killed and injured.
At least nine people were confirmed dead an more than 15 injured when the quake struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night.
Tremors began at middle of the night local time, close to the border with Pakistan – leaving scenes of devastation in their wake.
The quake reportedly shook buildings from Kabul to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad around 220miles away for several seconds.
Two children died when the roof of their home caved in during the natural disaster, according to initial reports from provincial authorities.
At least 15 other people were injured, officials said in a statement.
TRT World is now reporting more than 250 people had been killed and 500 injured.
The epicentre of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was located 27 kilometres east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Victims of the 6.0-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan are treated for their wounds on Sunday evening
Many homes were reduced to rubble by the force of the earthquake
Afghans stand amid the remains of houses as the search for survivors continues
There was a second quake some 20 minutes later in the same province, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10 kilometers.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
Nangarhar province was also hit by flooding overnight Friday to Saturday, which left five people dead and destroyed crops and property, authorities said.
Naqibullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, said 15 people were injured and taken to the local hospital for treatment.
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people perished.
The U.N. gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500 – the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.
