622 dead and more than 1,500 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

At least 622 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in the earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Sunday night, measuring six degrees, according to the Ministry of Interior, on Monday. Ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani said that "610 people were killed and 1,300 injured in Kunar province, where many homes were destroyed," noting that 12 people were also killed in Nangarhar province. Local officials and the US Geological Survey reported on Sunday evening that the epicenter of the earthquake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometers, was located 27 kilometers east of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province. An official in the Afghan Ministry of Information stated that the most affected areas were in Kunar province, where roads were closed due to landslides. The official, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that search and rescue operations are being carried out using helicopters. For his part, the spokesman for the Afghan interim government, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed in a post on the "X" platform, on Sunday, that there were casualties as a result of the earthquake. Mujahid said in his post: "Unfortunately, today's earthquake caused loss of life and property in the eastern provinces." Local officials reported that this earthquake is one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the country, according to local media. On the other hand, at least two aftershocks were recorded in the area, one with a magnitude of 5.2.