A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shakes southeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border

This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)

KABUL, Afghanistan — A magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border late Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake’s epicenter was near Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, and it had a depth of 8 kilometers, the USGS said. It struck at 11:47 p.m. local time Sunday.

Naqibullah Rahimi, a spokesman for the Nangarhar Public Health Department, said 15 people were injured and taken to the local hospital for treatment.

There was a second quake some 20 minutes later in the same province, with a magnitude of 4.5 and a depth of 10 kilometers.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2023, followed by strong aftershocks. The Taliban government estimated that at least 4,000 people perished.

The U.N. gave a far lower death toll of about 1,500. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

The Associated Press