Photos: Aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Afghanistan

Rescue and relief teams are struggling to reach survivors of a deadly earthquake that hit Afghanistan's remote southeast, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring hundreds more even as the country battles multiple humanitarian crises. Above: A child stands besides a house damaged by an earthquake in Bernal district, Paktika province, on June 23.

The 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit predawn on Wednesday was the worst natural disaster to hit the nation since a landslide in 2014 killed 2,000 people in the northeastern Badakhshan province. Above: Afghan men look for their belongings amid the ruins of a house damaged by an earthquake in Bernal district, Paktika province.

The eastern Paktika province was the worst hit. Casualties and damage were also reported in nearby Khost and Nangahar provinces, which border Pakistan. Above: Afghan people keep their clothes to dry on dried out shrubs near the ruins of houses damaged by an earthquake in Bernal district, Paktika province.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the global agency has "fully mobilised" to help, deploying health teams and supplies of medicine, food, trauma kits and emergency shelter to the quake zone. Above: People walk amidst the rubble of damaged houses in Bermal district, Paktika province.

Villagers rushed to bury the dead Thursday and dug by hand through the rubble of their homes in search of survivors.

Members of Taliban rescue team return from affected villages following an earthquake in Bernal district, Paktika province.

With the country faced with US sanctions, following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, nations around the world are treading with caution but can still consider sending urgent relief aid, classified as humanitarian relief.

A Taliban helicopter takes off after bringing aid to the site of an earthquake in Gayan, Afghanistan.

Afghan men search for survivors amidst the debris of a house.

An Afghan girl stands near a house that was damaged by an earthquake in the Spera District of the southwestern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. A powerful earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more in one of the country's deadliest quakes in decades, the state-run news agency reported. (AP Photo)