Death toll of Afghanistan's quake surpasses 1,000: official

SHARAN, Afghanistan, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has surpassed 1,000, while more than 1,500 people were injured, a provincial official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further.

"More than 1,000 people were killed and 1,500 injured as a result of the earthquake and subsequent landslide in two districts of Gayan and Barmal of Paktika," Mohammad Amin Haddifa, chairman of the provincial directorate of information and culture, told Xinhua.

In the neighboring Khost province, at least 25 people were killed and 100 others wounded after more than 600 houses, mosques, and shops were destroyed by the quake, according to Khost provincial officials.

Hours after the quake, Acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund chaired an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday morning, the prime minister's office wrote on Twitter.

Hassan Akhund also ordered a grant of 1 billion afghanis (more than 11.2 million U.S. dollars) to assist the victims of the natural disaster.

"The meeting has ordered all concerned agencies to rush to the spot immediately. Use all available resources to save the lives of the affected people and provide all necessary assistance," he said.

The quake, with a magnitude of 5.9, jolted 44 km southwest of Khost.