Death toll of Afghanistan's quake surpasses 1,000: official

Photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows ambulances on the road in Paktika province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

The earthquake hitting eastern Afghanistan Wednesday has left over 1,000 people dead and over 1,500 others injured, said a provincial official. And at least 25 people were killed and 100 others wounded in the neighboring Khost province.

SHARAN, Afghanistan, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has surpassed 1,000, while more than 1,500 people were injured, a provincial official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further.

"More than 1,000 people were killed and 1,500 injured as a result of the earthquake and subsequent landslide in two districts of Gayan and Barmal of Paktika," Mohammad Amin Haddifa, chairman of the provincial directorate of information and culture, told Xinhua.

In the neighboring Khost province, at least 25 people were killed and 100 others wounded after more than 600 houses, mosques, and shops were destroyed by the quake, according to Khost provincial officials.

Photo taken on June 22, 2022 shows a girl injured in earthquake receives treatment in the provincial hospital in Paktika province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Hours after the quake, Acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund chaired an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday morning, the prime minister's office wrote on Twitter.

Hassan Akhund also ordered a grant of 1 billion afghanis (more than 11.2 million U.S. dollars) to assist the victims of the natural disaster.

"The meeting has ordered all concerned agencies to rush to the spot immediately. Use all available resources to save the lives of the affected people and provide all necessary assistance," he said.

The quake, with a magnitude of 5.9, jolted 44 km southwest of Khost.