The Afghan-Pakistani border region has been shaken by a violent earthquake. According to official figures, at least 255 people died. At least 155 others were injured in the earthquake in Paktika province, the state news agency Bakhtar reported on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the ruling Taliban also spoke of dozens of destroyed houses in four affected districts of the province bordering Pakistan. Local media reported that one village was completely destroyed.
The information from regional seismic stations on the strength initially fluctuated. Pakistani authorities gave the earthquake late Tuesday evening (local time) with a magnitude of 6.1. The US earthquake monitor (USGS) reported magnitude 5.9 and a slightly weaker aftershock. Accordingly, the center of the earthquake was around 50 kilometers southwest of the city of Khost near the border with Pakistan at a depth of around ten kilometers.
