Earthquake In Afghanistan Destroys Hundreds Of Homes, Kills Dozens, Injures Many

A moderate earthquake in Afghanistan has killed or injured dozens of people. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the 5.6-magnitude quake occurred 62 km (39 miles) below the surface in the eastern region of Afghanistan not far from the Pakistani border.

The quake hit just before 2 p.m. local time (0930 GMT).

Citing the most recently available data from local news sources, the independent news site Earthquake-Report indicates at least 23 deaths and 120 injured, but anticipated the numbers to rise after daybreak when a clearer picture of the damage emerges.

Russia Today also reported on the earthquake, citing deaths in adjacent Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. The news outlet quoted a local spokesperson from Nangarhar, who said nearly two dozen in his town were hospitalized with injuries and that children are among the dead.

According Reuters, the region saw heavy rains Wednesday, which may have weakened the integrity of the mud-brick dwellings many Afghans live in. Hundreds of homes have reportedly collapsed.

Jalalabad, with a population of more than 200,000, is the closest major city to the epicenter.

The quake was felt in Kabul, Islamabad and as far away as Jaipur, India, some 1,300 km (800 miles) away according to citizen accounts on Earthquake-Report.

Pakistan's meteorological department measured the quake as magnitude 6.2, according to Russia Today.

A string of Earthquakes has hampered Asia in recent days after 6.6 magnitude earthquake killed nearly 200 people in southwest China; a few days prior a 7.8 magnitude shocker killing 35 in eastern Iran and western Pakistan last week and a second earthquake in southwest Iran days before that killed dozens.