Kunar, Afghanistan – Hundreds of people have been killed in eastern Afghanistan after a magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck late Sunday night near the Pakistan border.

At least 800 people have died and 2,500 others were injured by the tremor, the Taliban government said Monday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed that the vast majority of the deaths reported so far were in Kunar province.

In the neighboring province of Nangarhar, at least 12 people were killed and 255 others were injured, Qani said. The earthquake’s epicenter was near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Jalalabad is about 119 kilometers (74 miles) away from the capital city, Kabul.

The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers (6 miles) and struck the region at 11:47 p.m. local time (9:17 p.m. CET), according to USGS.

Shallower earthquakes usually cause more damage.

A second earthquake with magnitude 4.5 followed roughly 20 minutes later in the same province. This was later followed by a magnitude-5.2 quake.

“Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid posted to X, adding there were deaths and structural and financial damage in some of the eastern provinces.

He said support teams from Kabul and nearby provinces were on their way to sites damaged in the powerful quake.

In October 2023, more than 2,000 people were killed after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the country. 

The 2023 earthquake is considered the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country in recent memory.

-Agencies