Afghan earthquake: 1,000 people killed and 1,500 wounded

BBC: A powerful earthquake has killed one thousand people and left hundreds more injured in Afghanistan.

Pictures showed landslides and ruined mud-built homes in eastern Paktika province, where rescuers have been scrambling to treat the injured.

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said hundreds of houses were destroyed and the death toll was likely to rise.

It is the deadliest earthquake to strike Afghanistan in two decades.

The head of information for Paktika province, Mohammad Amin Hazifi, told that 1,000 people had died and 1,500 are injured.

Rescue teams are still searching for others buried under the ground, he added.

The earthquake struck about 44km (27 miles) from the south-eastern city of Khost shortly after 01:30 local time (21:00 Tuesday GMT), when many people were asleep at home.

Earthquakes tend to cause significant damage in Afghanistan, where dwellings in many rural areas are unstable or poorly built.