At least 1,000 people have been killed and many more injured after a strong earthquake struck remote parts of southeastern Afghanistan, according to disaster management officials.

Kabul, June 22 (RHC)-- At least 1,000 people have been killed and many more injured after a strong earthquake struck remote parts of southeastern Afghanistan, according to disaster management officials.

The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck about 44 km (27 miles) from the city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, early on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Officials revised the death toll up to at least 950 -- warning that the toll will surely increase -- and said more than 600 others have been injured.  The majority of confirmed deaths were reported in the province of Paktika.

Hundreds of people lost their lives in Barmal, Ziruk, Naka, and Gayan districts of Paktika province, the state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported.  “A severe earthquake shook four districts of Paktika province, killing and injuring hundreds of our countrymen and destroying dozens of houses,” Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government, wrote on Twitter.  “We urge all aid agencies to send teams to the area immediately to prevent further catastrophe,” he said.