More than 800 people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan. Officials warn that the death toll is expected to rise.
According to the Taliban-run interior ministry, more than 800 people have been killed and more than 2,500 injured following the 6.0-magnitude quake.
The epicentre was located about 27 kilometres from Jalalabad, Afghanistan’s fifth-largest city in Nangarhar province, and tremors were felt as far as 140 kilometres away in the capital, Kabul.
The disaster adds to Afghanistan’s mounting challenges, further straining a nation already facing deep humanitarian crises, including a sharp decline in international aid and the forced return of thousands of Afghan citizens from neighbouring countries.
