At least 311 dead as earthquake devastates south Asia

A total of 311 people have now been confirmed dead after a major earthquake hit the mountainous regions of south Asia.

The figure includes 237 people who died in Pakistan and 74 in Afghanistan. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers are able to reach remote villages and areas cut off by landslides.

The death toll from a devastating earthquake which rocked northern Afghanistan and Pakistan has risen to "at least" 275.

Thousands of people have braved near-freezing temperatures and spent the night outdoors, for fear of more buildings coming down in further aftershocks.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed as the initial magnitude 7.5 quake struck on Monday afternoon, followed by seven aftershocks which measured as high as 4.8 on the Richter scale.

The figure includes 228 people killed in Pakistan - and the death toll is expected to rise in the coming days as rescue workers make their way to difficult, remote mountain villages where communication are down.

Operations have been hampered by the possibility of landslides making the terrain even more dangerous, as well as security concerns as the region is suffering an escalating Taliban insurgency.

The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Afghanistan is expected to rise in coming days, officials have warned.

At present, more than 200 people are thought to have been killed across Afghanistan and Pakistan, but the worst hit areas are remote and further reports of deaths are expected.

ITV News correspondent Paul Davies reports:

More than 200 people are now thought to have have been killed in the earthquake that struck across northern Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to officials quoted by the Reuters news agency.

Most of the deaths have been reported in northern Pakistan.

The death toll could climb in the coming days because communications were down in much of the rugged Hindu Kush mountain range where the earthquake was centred.

Shockwaves were felt as far away as New Delhi in northern India, but no deaths have been reported in India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will cut short his official visit to the US so that he can deal with the aftermath of a deadly earthquake that struck his country.

His daughter, activist Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted her condolences to those affected by the quake and said her father would return home "shortly".

Damage to homes and other buildings can be seen across northern areas of Pakistan following today's deadly earthquake that struck in north-eastern Afghanistan.

Over 100 people have so far been confirmed killed after the quake, with hundreds more injured.

• Afghan newsreader flees desk as earthquake hits

Tremors from an earthquake hundreds of miles away in Afghanistan shook a TV news studio in Delhi earlier, demonstrating its power.

Over 100 people in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan have so far been killed by the quake, with hundreds more injured in both countries.

Over 100 people have now been confirmed dead following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan.

At least 33 people have been killed in Afghanistan and 200 injured, AP reports.

Pakistani state television has said that at least 94 people have been killed in the country and almost 600 others wounded following the powerful tremors.

Overhead metro railway lines can be seen swaying in Rawalpindi, northern Pakistan, after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit hundreds of miles away across the border in Afghanistan.

The moment a powerful earthquake struck in north-eastern Afghanistan was reported on the Ariana TV Network by a newsreader who was forced to leave his desk as the tremors hit Kabul.

• Latest updates: Death toll rises after Afghan quake