Afghanistan was struck with a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 11:47pm local time (GMT +4:30) on Sunday, killing at least 20 people and injuring around 100 others.
The quake, which hit at a shallow depth of 8 kilometres (6 miles). The epicentre of the earthquake was 27 kilometres (17 miles) away from the Jalalabad, the fifth-largest city in the nation.
More than 20 people have been reported dead in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces by the BBC. The death toll is expected to rise as dozens of homes were buried under rubble following the quake, according to Taliban government sources. The remoteness of the affected areas makes it difficult to confirm the actual number of deaths.
More than 115 have been injured. Landslides blocked the roads, according to the police in Kunar province, forcing rescue operations to be carried out by air. Medical staff had to travel via helicopters to reach Kunar to provide treatment to the wounded, as well as transport if necessary. In the province of Nangahar, dozens of volunteers rushed to donate blood in hospitals.
The government has sounded the alarms for urgent assistance from international aid organisations.
The tremors of the earthquake were felt in Kabul, the capital, and as far away as Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which is more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) from the epicentre.
