Strong quake in west Afghanistan kills 'about 120'

The death toll from a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Afghanistan on Saturday has risen to about 120, disaster relief authorities said, with more than 1,000 others being treated for injuries.

As night fell in Sarboland village in rural Herat province, dozens of homes had been razed to the ground near the epicenter of the earthquakes as desperate families dug into the night to free relatives trapped in the rubble.

The United States Geological Survey said the epicentre was 40 kilometres northwest of the region's largest city Herat, and was followed by eight aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.3 and 6.3.