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KABUL — About 622 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, authorities said, as helicopters ferried the wounded to safety from rubble being combed in the hunt for survivors.

The disaster will further stretch the resources of the South Asian nation already grappling with humanitarian crises, from a sharp drop in aid to a huge pushback of its citizens from neighboring countries.

The quake of magnitude 6 injured more than 1,500, the Afghan interior ministry said in a statement that put the death toll at 622. Earlier state-run broadcaster put the toll at about 500.

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

“Figures from just a few clinics show over 400 injured and dozens of fatalities,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement that warned of higher casualties.

Images showed helicopters ferrying out the affected, while residents helped soldiers and medics carry the wounded to ambulances.

Three villages were razed in the province of Kunar, with substantial damage in many others, the health ministry said.

Reports showed 250 dead and 500 injured, said the provincial information head of Kunar, adding that the tally could change.

Early reports showed 30 dead in a single village, with hundreds of injured taken to hospital, authorities said.

Rescuers were scrambling to find survivors in the area bordering Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, where homes of mud and stone were leveled by the midnight quake hit at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

“So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,” a foreign office spokesperson said.

Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

A series of earthquakes in its west killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.

Kabul

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a history spanning over 3,500 years. It has long been a cultural and economic hub strategically located along historic trade routes. The city has endured numerous conflicts in recent decades, including the Soviet-Afghan War and civil strife, but remains a center of Afghan politics and culture.

Kunar

Kunar is a province in northeastern Afghanistan, historically significant as a key transit region along ancient trade routes. It is known for its rugged mountainous terrain and has been a strategic area during various conflicts, including the Soviet-Afghan War and more recent operations.

Hindu Kush

The Hindu Kush is a formidable mountain range stretching between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, historically forming a strategic barrier between Central and South Asia. Its high passes have facilitated trade and military movements for millennia, including Alexander the Great’s campaigns. The name is often translated as “Hindu Killer,” a grim reference to its perilous conditions for historical travelers and the region’s history of slave trading.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is a province in northwestern Pakistan, historically known as the North-West Frontier Province. It is a region of immense historical significance, having been a major corridor for invasions and trade through the famed Khyber Pass for centuries, from Alexander the Great to the British Empire. The area is renowned for its rugged mountainous landscape and is a cultural heartland for the Pashtun people.