Death toll from Afghanistan earthquake reaches 1,000

KABUL, Jun. 22 (YPA) – The death toll from an overnight earthquake of magnitude 6.1 in Afghanistan has reached at least 1,000.

At least 1,000 people were killed and about 1,500 injured in the earthquake, according to the official Afghan News Agency.

The agency noted that rescue operations were continuing with the support of a helicopter from the capital Kabul.

Mawlawi Sharafuddin Muslim, deputy Minister of State for Disaster Management said the Islamic Emirate will pay 100,000 Afs for the families of those who were killed in the earthquake and 50,000 will be paid to families of those injured.

The quake shook parts of eastern Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan during the early hours of Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The quake struck about 44 km (27 miles) from the city of Khost in southeastern Afghanistan and was at a depth of 51km (31 miles), according to the USGS.

The earthquake occurred in eastern Afghanistan, 46 kilometers from Khost province, which borders Pakistan.

E.M