Afghanistan earthquake: At least 20 killed and dozens more feared dead

More than 20 people have died after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, near its border with Pakistan, local officials have confirmed to the BBC.

More than 115 injured people have been taken to hospitals in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces, the officials said.

The shallow quake, with a depth of 8km (5 miles), struck at 23:47 local time (19:17 GMT) on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey. Since then, there have been at least three aftershocks – with magnitudes ranging from 4.5 and 5.2.

For several seconds the quake shook in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, around 200km away as well as Pakistan’s capital Islamabad nearly 400km away, AFP reported.

The death toll is expected to climb – the affected provinces are remote and have rugged terrain, and houses there are not generally earthquake-resistant.

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