Over 800 dead in earthquake

Afghanistan

Death toll rises: Over 800 dead in earthquake

Anna Sjögren, 

Filip Elofsson

Updated 10.34 | Published 08.08

Hundreds of people have died in a powerful earthquake in Afghanistan.

Several villages have been completely destroyed and over two thousand have been injured, according to authorities.

The death toll after the earthquake in Afghanistan is rising.

Now over 800 people are reported to have died, according to Sky News, which refers to the country's Taliban-controlled government.

Over 2,800 people have been injured and entire villages are said to have been completely destroyed. According to Afghan television, many have been buried under rubble and the death toll is feared to continue to rise.

Rescue teams have reportedly arrived in areas in eastern Afghanistan.

The quake struck at midnight in the country's eastern provinces near the border with Pakistan and had a magnitude of 6.0.

The country is hard hit by earthquakes, last year more than a thousand people died in a series of tremors, according to Reuters.
         
        Over 800 people have died and 1,000 have been injured after an earthquake in Afghanistan. Photo:          Aimal Zahir / AFP