More than 800 people were killed and over 2,500 injured in one of Afghanistan's worst earthquakes, authorities said on Monday, as helicopters ferried the wounded to hospital after they were plucked from rubble being combed for survivors.

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

Most of the casualties were in the province of Kunar.

The Taliban authorities and the United Nations mobilised rescue efforts to hard-hit areas.

The defence ministry said 40 flight sorties had so far been carried out.

"All our... teams have been mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided," Afghan interior ministry spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee told Reuters, citing efforts in areas from security to food and health.

In the capital Kabul, health authorities said rescuers were racing to reach remote hamlets dotting an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.

The earthquake was Afghanistan's deadliest since June 2022, when tremors of magnitude 6.1 killed at least 1,000 people.

The quake at 11.47pm on Sunday was centred 27 kilometres east-northeast of the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, the US Geological Survey said. It was just eight kilometers deep.

A 4.5 magnitude quake occurred some 20 minutes later in the same province. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2025-09-01 HKT 17:43