, Sept. 1 -- Over 600 people have been killed and over 1,500 others injured after a powerful magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban's interior ministry said Sunday.

The quake, which hit at a shallow depth of 8 km (6 miles), shook buildings as far away as Kabul and Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

Officials warned the death toll could rise sharply due to the remote location of the worst-hit areas and difficulties in accessing them, reports BBC.

According to the Taliban-run interior ministry, 610 deaths were recorded in Kunar province and 12 in neighboring Nangarhar, bringing the official toll to 622.

Entire villages have been destroyed, while dozens of houses remain "under rubble," officials said.

Local resident...