An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 shook Afghanistan today, killing approximately 1,000 people and injuring another 1,500.
The earthquake struck roughly 44 kilometres (27 miles) from the southeastern city of Khost in the early morning, as most people were still sleeping. The impact of the earthquake could be felt in Pakistan and India.
With the death toll expected to rise as search and rescue teams continue looking for people buried under the rubble, this is believed to be the deadliest earthquake to hit Afghanistan in two decades.
Mohammad Amin Hazifi, the head of information for Paktika province told BBC News that hundreds of homes were destroyed by the 6.1 magnitude earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 51 kilometres (32 miles).
The media outlet was also told by a local farmer, Alem Wafa that official rescue teams had yet to reach the remote village of Gyan, one of the worst-hit. Helicopters have been on the move to carry the injured to hospitals.
"There are no official aid workers, but people from neighbouring cities and villages came here to rescue people. I arrived this morning, and I, myself, found 40 dead bodies," says Wafa.
The United Nations (UN), reported that the United Kingdom (UK) has been in touch with them since receiving the request for help and is "ready to contribute to the international response."
Many of the deceased have been discovered to be children.
Afghanistan is under the control of the Taliban and that has limited the country's emergency services to an extent.
"We didn't have enough people and facilities before the earthquake, and now the earthquake has ruined the little we had. I don't know how many of our colleagues are still alive," says a doctor in Paktika reflecting that several victims were other medical workers.
Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes as many fault lines run through the country, including the Chaman fault, the Hari Rud fault, the Central Badakhshan fault and the Darvaz fault. The last earthquake Afghanistan experienced was in January, when twin quakes occurred, killing roughly 22 people and hundreds of houses.