Over 800 people have died and over 2,700 have been injured in the eastern part of Afghanistan, which was shaken overnight by a magnitude 6 earthquake, followed by at least five aftershocks felt hundreds of kilometers away, according to the latest data announced today by the Afghan authorities, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
When announcing the new information at a press conference in Kabul, government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid specified that 800 dead and 2,500 injured were registered in Kunar province alone, and 12 dead and 255 injured – in the neighboring province of Nangahar, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located, the focus of which was at a depth of only eight kilometers.
The Iranian government has meanwhile promised assistance to neighboring Afghanistan to deal with the consequences of the catastrophic earthquake, DPA reported.
Tehran is ready to immediately provide assistance and send rescuers to the affected areas, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said in a statement.