The earthquake, of magnitude 6.1, has occurred near the border with Pakistan
At least 280 people have died from the earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the open Richter scale recorded on Tuesday night in the Afghan province of Jost (east), near the border with Pakistan, as confirmed the Afghan authorities.
According to information collected by the Afghan state news agency Bakhtar News Agency, at least 255 people have died and 155 have been injured in the districts of Barmala, Ziruk, Naka and Gayan, all of them located in the province of Paktika, the most affected. .
Likewise, another 25 people have died and around a hundred have died in the Sapari district of Khost province. Local authorities have warned that the death toll could increase in the coming hours due to the large number of injured and the seriousness of the condition of some of them.
The aforementioned agency has also published a series of photographs in which you can see victims of the earthquake and material damage caused by the earthquake in the province of Paktika, including collapsed houses.
“Unfortunately, last night there was a severe earthquake in four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our fellow citizens and destroying dozens of houses,” Afghan government spokesman Bilal Karimi said.
“We ask all aid agencies to immediately send teams to the area to avoid a greater catastrophe,” he said in a message posted on his official account on the social network Twitter.
The earthquake had its epicenter about 44 kilometers from the city of Jost, while its epicenter has been at a depth of about 51 kilometers, according to data published on its website by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The Pakistani media have reported that a mild earthquake has shaken the capital, Islamabad, and other parts of the country, without the Pakistani authorities having yet ruled on possible victims on their territory.