STORY REVISED THROUGHOUT, INCLUDING HEADLINE AND DECK
ANKARA (AA) – Two earthquakes rattled Afghanistan's Paktika and Badakhan provinces on Monday, injuring at least 10 people, according to authorities.
The eastern Paktika province's Gayan district, which was severely devastated by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on June 22, was struck again by a quake, injuring at least 10 people.
The provincial governor's office said several residences already damaged in the previous earthquake were leveled by the new one, and teams have been rushed to the scene to rescue people.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1 and was centered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in the Khost province, according to the United States Geological Survey.
The second quake struck the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan. According to local Afghan media, the earthquake's magnitude was 4.3, and its epicenter was in the province’s Jurm district.
Mohammad Naseem Haqqani, a spokesman for the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, also known as the Disaster Management Ministry, earlier told Anadolu Agency that "so far, one person has been injured and 16 houses have been damaged."
Haqqani said today’s quake was strong, but he expects fewer casualties and damage as it struck during the day, unlike the last quake, which happened around midnight.
The quake hit Gayan at 4 p.m. local time (1130GMT), Haqqani said, adding that the situation is unclear because the area is remote and rescue workers are assessing damage and casualties.
On June 22, about 1,150 people were killed and 1,600 injured in a similar quake in the Gayan, Burmal, and Spera districts of the Paktika province.
* Written by Shafiq Ahmad