KABUL, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The construction of 1,000 houses has been completed and handed over to the earthquake-affected families in eastern Afghanistan's Paktika province on Sunday and Monday, Provincial Director for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs Mawlawi Hamdullah Fateh said Tuesday.

Built at a cost of 7.8 million U.S. dollars with the financial support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the houses composed of two bedrooms, a hall, a kitchen and a bathroom, have been distributed to the quake-affected families in the most-affected Gayan district, the official added.

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Paktika and the neighboring Khost province in June 2022, leaving nearly 1,000 dead and about 1,500 others injured, with the majority of them in Gayan district.

More houses would be constructed for the homeless people who were affected by the tremor in Gayan and adjoining areas, the official said.

Afghanistan experienced two devastating earthquakes in 2022 and 2023, respectively, which badly damaged Gayan district in Paktika and Zindajan district in the western Herat province.

The Afghan interim government, in collaboration with aid agencies, has been working to build shelters for the affected families. ■