Dhaka, Sept. 2 -- Rescuers desperately searched Tuesday for survivors in the rubble of homes flattened by an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 800 people.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake, followed by at least five aftershocks, hit remote areas in mountainous provinces near the border with Pakistan around midnight Sunday.

The head of the Kunar Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told AFP that "operations continued throughout the night". He said there were "still injured people left in the distant villages" in need of evacuation to hospitals.

Villagers joined the rescue efforts, using their bare hands to clear debris of simple mud and stone homes built into steep valleys. Obaidullah Stoman...