Rescue crews are searching for survivors in Afghanistan after a 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the far eastern part of the country late Sunday night. At least 800 people have been confirmed dead and more than 3.000 injured, according to the Afghan Red Crescent.
The quake was so strong it could be felt in parts of Pakistan, including the capital, Islamabad. There were no reports of casualties or damage there.
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The quake destroyed multiple villages throughout eastern Afghanistan, reducing them to rubble. It also hit a series of towns in the Kunar province not far from the city of Jalalabad near the border with Pakistan.
Several aftershocks, ranging from 4.5 magnitude to 5.2, followed the earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was just 5 miles deep, and that shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
Rescue operations are underway, with medical teams from Kunar and Kabul helping, according to Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said a U.N. team has also been mobilized in Afghanistan to help.
With the earthquake hitting such a remote area, Zaman said, “It will take time to get the exact information about human losses and damage to the infrastructure.”
