The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan has risen sharply to more than 2,200, according to new figures, making it the deadliest quake to hit the country in decades, AFP reports.

The majority of the casualties from the 6.0-magnitude quake that struck a mountainous region bordering Pakistan on Sunday evening were in Kunar Province, where the Taliban-led government said 2,205 people had been killed and 3,640 injured.

Another 12 people were killed and hundreds injured in neighboring Nangarhar and Laghman provinces.

The death toll, however, could rise as volunteers and rescue workers continue to pull bodies from the rubble.