A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, centered 27 kilometers east-northeast of Jalalabad and only 8 kilometers deep. The tremor hit towns in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, killing at least 610 people and injuring about 1,300 in Kunar, with a dozen dead and hundreds injured in Nangarhar. Many houses and several villages were destroyed, and rescue operations are ongoing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and Kabul have arrived to assist. Nearby Jalalabad has many low-rise and mud-brick homes of poor construction and serves as a major trade hub near the Pakistan border.
The 6.0 magnitude quake late Sunday hit a series of towns in the province of Kunar, near the city of Jalalabad in neighboring Nangahar province, causing extensive damage. The quake at 11:47 p.m. was centered 27 kilometers (17 miles) east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was just 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press, saying the late-night quake killed 610 people and injured 1,300 in Kunar. Many houses were destroyed. In Nangarhar, a dozen people died and hundreds were injured, said Qani. "Rescue operations are still underway there, and several villages have been completely destroyed. The figures for martyrs and injured are changing. Medical teams from Kunar, Nangarhar and the capital Kabul have arrived in the area," said Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the ministry of public health.
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