A powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan at the weekend killed more than 1,400 people and injured thousands more, the Taliban government said on Tuesday, making it one of the deadliest to hit the country in decades.

The casualty toll has mounted steadily since the 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit late Sunday night, devastating remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan.

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with dwindling aid since the Taliban seized power in 2021 undermining its ability to respond to disasters.

Chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media platform X on Tuesday that 1,411 people were killed and 3,124 people were injured in the hard-hit province of Kunar alone.

Another dozen people were

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