The death toll has surpassed 1,000 after a magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck Afghanistan's Paktika Province early on Wednesday, according to a local official.

More than 1,500 people were injured in the Gyan and Barmal districts of the province, Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of the Information and Culture Department in Paktika, told reporters.

The number of casualties may increase, he said.