The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth near Jalalabad late on Sunday, the USGS says
Hundreds are feared dead following a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, in a mountainous area close to the border with Pakistan, local officials said on Monday.
State-owned Bakhtar News Agency reported that at least 250 people died, and that 500 people had been injured.
The quake at 11.47pm was centred 27km (17 miles) east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just 8km (5 miles) deep. Shallower quakes tend to cause more damage.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
