250 killed in earthquake in Afghanistan, more than 150 injured, widespread damages

KABUL: At least 250 people have been killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan. The death toll is likely to rise further. Reports said more than 150 people have been injured.

The quake struck Paktika province but it comes as the international community largely has left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover of the country last year amid the chaotic withdrawal of the US military from the longest war in its history.

The state-run Bakhtar news agency reported the death toll and said rescuers were arriving by helicopter. The news agency’s director-general, Abdul Wahid Rayan, wrote on Twitter that 90 houses have been destroyed in Paktika and dozens of people are believed trapped under the rubble.

Footage from Paktika province near the Pakistan border showed victims being carried into helicopters to be airlifted from the area. Images widely circulating online from the province showed destroyed stone houses, with residents picking through clay bricks and other rubble. Widespread damages have been reported.