An aerial view of Afghanistan's Khost province photographed in 2013. An earthquake struck near the city of Khost on June 22.
(CNN) --
More than 250 people are feared dead and hundreds more injured after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency.
The quake struck at 1:24 a.m. about 46 kilometers (28.5 miles) southwest of the city of Khost, which is near the country's border with Pakistan, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). for its acronym in English).
What to do during a tremor or earthquake?
The quake was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to the USGS.
Casualties were reported in Barmal, Zirok, Nika and Giyan districts of Paktika province, with more than 500 injured, according to Bakhtar.
CNN cannot independently confirm the Bakhtar reports.
USGS assigned the quake a yellow alert level, indicating that there may be some casualties and the impact should be relatively localized.
Total casualty figures are still unclear.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the World Health Organization said its teams were on the ground to respond to emergencies, including providing medicine, trauma services and conducting needs assessments.
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