Earthquake in Afghanistan: "I saw a lot of bodies"

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Rescue operation after the severe earthquake in Afghanistan: The helpers rescue the injured from the disaster area by helicopter.

At least 1,000 people are said to have died in the natural disaster.

The number of victims could continue to rise.

The earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, shook the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost on the border with Pakistan on Wednesday night.

Fatima, resident: »It was midnight when the quake happened.

The children and I screamed.

One of our rooms was destroyed.

Our neighbors were screaming and we suddenly saw the insides of the other houses.”

Faisal, resident: »It was around midnight when the quake happened.

It destroyed our neighbors' houses.

When we arrived there were many dead and injured.

They sent us to the hospital.

I've seen a lot of corpses."

Many houses in the region were built of mud and could not withstand the earthquake.

These recordings by the state news agency Bakhtar are said to show helicopters that, according to the Afghan interior ministry, are bringing emergency medical aid and food and flying out the injured.

The earthquake hit people in a remote mountainous area, so rescue work is difficult.

The quake was also felt in large parts of the country in neighboring Pakistan, so far nothing is known about injuries or damage there.