Afghan govt says quake death toll rises to 27

An earthquake in northern Afghanistan has killed at least 27 people and injured nearly 1,000, the health ministry said on Tuesday, announcing the end of rescue operations.

Most of the casualties from the 6.3-magnitude quake that struck on Monday overnight were reported in the provinces of Balkh and Samangan, ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said in a statement.

The vast majority of those injured were not in critical condition, the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority said.

"Thanks to the significant efforts and rapid response of all relevant institutions, the authorities have completed rescue operations in the affected areas," Zaman said.

The epicentre of quake was located in Samangan´s Kholm district, near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

In Kholm, an AFP correspondent saw residents clearing rubble from their homes despite heavy rain.

The state electricity provider said it was still working to repair damaged power lines.

The quake follows a deadly tremor in late August that struck eastern provinces bordering Pakistan, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring nearly 4,000, according to the Taliban authorities.

That earthquake — the deadliest in Afghanistan’s recent history — was a shallow one, and hit remote mountainous areas where poorly built homes collapsed.

Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.