Hundreds feared dead, injured as earthquake of magnitude 6 hits Afghanistan

Hundreds were feared dead and injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6 struck two rugged eastern provinces in Afghanistan, Reuters reported citing local authorities.

There was no confirmed death toll, health authorities said in Kabul, according to Reuters.

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

Images from Reuters Television 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, according to Reuters.

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

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