Summary Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, as it lies near the junction of the tectonic plates.
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan officials said at least 115 people were confirmed dead and hundreds more injured, with casualties reported from around half a dozen of the country s 34 provinces, and more than 7,600 homes reported damaged as a result of a devastating earthquake that jolted the region.
Desperate victims appealed for aid after Monday s 8.1 magnitude quake ripped through the region, destroying thousands of homes, triggering landslides and stampedes, and knocking out communication lines.
The US is among several countries that have offered to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, and Chinese state media said on Wednesday Beijing stood ready to help both countries if needed.
"What is most needed at this stage is medical assistance to the injured, medical equipments and shelter for the affected populations," said Kjersti Haraldseide, acting country director for Afghanistan for the Norwegian Refugee Council agency.
Antoine Sagot-Priez, country head of French aid agency Premiere Urgence Internationale, said they had already seen a "large influx of casualties" at one of their hospitals in the badly hit Afghan province of Kunar.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday it has distributed medical supplies to help thousands of people in the worst-hit parts of Afghanistan, and more trauma kits for 1,200 patients will be dispatched in the coming days.
The quake was centred near Jurm in northeast Afghanistan, 250 kilometres (160 miles) from the capital Kabul and at a depth of 213.5 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, as it lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Monday s quake came six months after a huge earthquake in Nepal and an aftershock killed almost 9,000 people.
Large swathes of Badakhshan, the remote province where the epicentre is located, and other quake-stricken areas are effectively controlled by the Taliban, which Western charities said is hindering access to victims.
The militants Tuesday urged aid organisations not to hold back in delivering emergency relief and vowed their fighters would provide "complete help" in the affected areas.
On Tuesday Pope Francis offered prayers for the dead and missing, invoking the "divine blessings of consolation and strength" for aid workers trying to help the victims.
The tremor, which lasted at least one minute, shook buildings in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, sending thousands of frightened people rushing into the streets.
