KABUL, June 22 (Reuters) – A 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck densely populated parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan early on Wednesday morning has killed at least 130 people in eastern Afghanistan, according to the authorities.
The majority of these deaths were recorded in the Afghan province of Paktika, bordering Pakistan, where the balance sheet is established for the moment at least 100 dead and 250 wounded, declared Mohammad Nassim Haqqani, who heads the national administration of Taliban disaster management.
Other deaths have been reported in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Khost, he said, stressing that the census of victims was continuing.
According to the American Center for Geological Studies (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake was 46 kilometers from the city of Khost, in southeastern Afghanistan, at a depth of 10 kilometers. (Report Mohammad Yunus Yawar, written by Charlotte Greenfield; French version Camille Raynaud and Myriam Rivet, told by Nicolas Delame)