A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has struck Afganistan and killed hundreds of people in Pakistan including thousands injured on Monday, Oct. 21. The quake was reported to be the strongest one that hit Afganistan since 1949.

Today reports that in more than six decades, Afganistan has experienced another earthquake that gave great ruin to the country and its people 254 kilometers north of the Afghan capital with a depth of 213 kilometers. The quake happened at 2.39 p.m. Indian Time.

"The strongest earthquake in recent years has caused heavy damages and casualties in the nation," Mr. Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan's chief executive officer, said as quoted by Today. Meanwhile, the numbers are up. As of press time, 280 people are recorded to have died and 1,800 were injured because of the quake, AFP reports.

In a televised address, Abdullah reports the catastrophic event, mentioning that 12 students below 16 years of age died in a stampede when they tried to run out of their school when the quake hit, Today reports.

It was a shocking and terrifying experience for the populace, especially the families of the children. "When the aggrieved relatives of the dead students came to collect their bodies, they were so distressed that they could not even talk to authorities to record their names," Hafizullah Safai, head of the Takhar Health Department said per AFP.

Apparently, the quake also caused phone lines to be cut. Houses and buildings also collapsed in the cities of Afganistan and Pakistan.

"This was by far the most severe earthquake I've felt in my lifetime," Abdullah Ahmadzai the Asia Foundation's Afghanistan representative, said by phone from Kabul as quoted by Today.

"The region near the epicenter is not a highly populated district, but the structures there are very basic and vulnerable to these sorts of natural disasters. There is a lot of concern about mass destruction there," Ahmadzai added.

The quake was even reportedly featured on live TV by news agencies. However, news anchors had to suddenly rush out of their studios to also find safety from the powerful quake, AFP reports. Meanwhile, rescue operations are now being held in various cities of Afganistan and Pakistan with help from the countries' governments as well as India's.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani already held an emergency meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assess the damage of the quake, per Today. Pakistan also revealed that its army already started their rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the State Department spokesman John Kirby in Washington considers any requests for assistance.