New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- At least 500 people have been killed and over 1000 injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the country's state-run broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) reported. Taliban-led health authorities in Kabul, however, said they were still confirming the official toll figure as they worked to reach remote areas.

Meanwhile, three villages were razed in the province of Kunar. Nurgal, Chawkay and Watapur were the districts of Kunar worst hit by the quake, Bakhtar reported.

Rescue teams rushed to search for survivors along the border of 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).

"So far, n...