News Center- An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 hit remote parts of southeastern Afghanistan today. According to the media reports, at least 280 people have been killed and more than 600 others injured. The reports also say that the death toll is likely to rise.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGC) first announced the magnitude of the earthquake as 6.1 but then updated it as 5.9. The quake struck about 44 km from the city of Khost, near the Pakistani border, the USGC said.

Shaking was felt by about 119 million people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.