A powerful earthquake struck a remote area of Afghanistan on Monday, shaking the capital Kabul and killing at least 24 people, including 12 schoolgirls, seven people in the eastern province of Nangarhar, two in Nuristan province in the northeast and three in eastern Kunar province, officials said.
The epicentre of the earthquake was near Jurm in northeast Afghanistan, 250 kilometres from the capital Kabul and at a depth of 213.5 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said. The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake's intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.5.
Pakistan was worst-hit in the aftermath of the quake, with over 130 people dead and scores injured.
The death toll could climb in coming days because communications were down in much of the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range area where the quake was centred.