Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that the death toll in the earthquake in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province has surpassed 800.
Addressing a press conference in Kabul, he said 2,500 more have been wounded in the earthquake.
He said that the death toll is on the rise as many victims are trapped under the rubbel.
According to him, in the neighboring Nangarhar province, at least 12 people were killed and 255 others were wounded.
Earlier in the day, the Taliban-run disaster management authority in Kunar announced the death toll at 500.
According to the office, the dead and wounded were reported in the districts of Watapur, Manogai, Chapa Dara, Suki and Nurgal in Kunar. It warned the toll could rise as many people remained trapped under rubble.
Reports also indicated dozens were wounded in Laghman province, also in the east.
The quake struck just after midnight, shaking Kabul as well as border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0, with an epicenter near Asadabad in Kunar at a depth of about 27 kilometers (17 miles).
The tremor was also felt in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Aftershocks continued to be reported in the region.
