At least 255 dead in strong earthquake that struck Afghanistan (BINTEO)

A magnitude 255 earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 6,1 people and wounding hundreds more, officials said.

Most of the deaths are in Paktika province, said Mohammad Nasim Hakani, head of the Taliban's disaster management service.

According to him, there are dead in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Host, while the authorities continue to assess the damage.

The epicenter was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, however; no tsunami alert was issued. The epicenter was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, however; no tsunami alert issued. (USGS).

The epicenter was reported 44 kilometers south of the city of Khost in southeastern Afghanistan, at a distance of more than 500 kilometers from Pakistan and India, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center.

"Unfortunately, last night there was a strong earthquake in four areas of Paktika province, which killed and injured hundreds of our fellow citizens and destroyed dozens of houses," Bilal Karimi, a spokesman for the Taliban government, said on Twitter.

"We call on all relief services to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further disaster," he added.

Photos posted on social media show damaged houses on the streets of a village. Local sources in Paktika province said the quake caused a landslide.

Afghanistan is often hit by earthquakes, mainly in the Hindu Kush massif at the junction of two tectonic plates, the Eurasian and the Indian.