Karachi: A mighty 5.9-magnitude Earthquake jolted a mountainous part of Pakistan‘s Balochistan Several houses collapsed in the province early Thursday, killing at least 22 people and injuring more than 300, officials said.
Disaster management officials said the death toll could rise, Geo News reported.
The National Seismological Monitoring Center in Islamabad said the epicenter of the quake was near Harnai at a depth of about 15 km. It further said that the exact damage is yet to be confirmed.
earthquake affected Quetta‘Self’ Harnai pishinaFort Saifullah, Chaman, Ziarat and Zhob in Balochistan.
Most of the deaths and injuries were reported from the far north-eastern district of Harnai.
The US Geological Survey said it was a 5.9-magnitude quake that occurred at a low depth. Shallow earthquakes can cause more damage.
The death of 22 people was confirmed by Harnai District Deputy Commissioner Sohail Anwar Hashmi. Six children were also among the dead.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that many women and children were among the dead.
According to the report of the Dawn newspaper, in pictures on social media, people of Quetta city are seen taking to the streets after the earthquake.
Tremors are still being felt in different areas. The tremors were first felt at 3:20 am, after which panicked citizens came out of their homes reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Relief and rescue operations are on with declaration of emergency in all hospitals.
According to Hashmi, many people have been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. He said several buildings in Harnai were damaged. Many people got buried under the rubble.
More than 100 mud houses have also collapsed, leaving hundreds homeless.
He said the power supply to the area has been snapped.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani said aid and evacuation efforts were on.
“Blood, ambulance, emergency aid, [helicopters] And everything else has been put in place… All the departments are working on it.”
The army said in a statement that the army reached the earthquake-hit areas of Harnai for rescue and relief efforts.
“Essential food/shelter material was carried for the earthquake affected population. Army doctors and paramedics are assisting the civil administration for essential medical care with essential medicines,” it said.
Speaking to Geo News, PDMA Director General Nasir Ahmed Nasir said that landslides have occurred in the hilly areas.
Interior Minister Mir Ziaullah Langov said five to six districts were “largely” affected and data was still being collected.
Pakistan lies between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and lies on the Indus-Tsangpo suture region, about 200 km north of the Himalayan front, which makes the region susceptible to earthquakes.
The region has the highest rate of seismicity and the largest earthquakes in the Himalayan region, mainly due to motion on the thrust fault. The country has experienced several earthquakes in recent years.
This is not the first time that a major earthquake has occurred in Balochistan province, which remains mostly open and mountainous and with many people living in remote areas.
A massive earthquake struck parts of the province in September 2013, but its epicenter was in the Avaran district, killing about 825 people and injuring thousands and damaging thousands of homes in the southwestern province.
One of the worst earthquakes to hit the country in recent years was on October 8, 2005, which killed more than 74,000 people.
Disaster management officials said the death toll could rise, Geo News reported.
The National Seismological Monitoring Center in Islamabad said the epicenter of the quake was near Harnai at a depth of about 15 km. It further said that the exact damage is yet to be confirmed.
earthquake affected Quetta‘Self’ Harnai pishinaFort Saifullah, Chaman, Ziarat and Zhob in Balochistan.
Most of the deaths and injuries were reported from the far north-eastern district of Harnai.
The US Geological Survey said it was a 5.9-magnitude quake that occurred at a low depth. Shallow earthquakes can cause more damage.
The death of 22 people was confirmed by Harnai District Deputy Commissioner Sohail Anwar Hashmi. Six children were also among the dead.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that many women and children were among the dead.
According to the report of the Dawn newspaper, in pictures on social media, people of Quetta city are seen taking to the streets after the earthquake.
Tremors are still being felt in different areas. The tremors were first felt at 3:20 am, after which panicked citizens came out of their homes reciting verses from the Holy Quran. Relief and rescue operations are on with declaration of emergency in all hospitals.
According to Hashmi, many people have been admitted to the hospital in critical condition. He said several buildings in Harnai were damaged. Many people got buried under the rubble.
More than 100 mud houses have also collapsed, leaving hundreds homeless.
He said the power supply to the area has been snapped.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani said aid and evacuation efforts were on.
“Blood, ambulance, emergency aid, [helicopters] And everything else has been put in place… All the departments are working on it.”
The army said in a statement that the army reached the earthquake-hit areas of Harnai for rescue and relief efforts.
“Essential food/shelter material was carried for the earthquake affected population. Army doctors and paramedics are assisting the civil administration for essential medical care with essential medicines,” it said.
Speaking to Geo News, PDMA Director General Nasir Ahmed Nasir said that landslides have occurred in the hilly areas.
Interior Minister Mir Ziaullah Langov said five to six districts were “largely” affected and data was still being collected.
Pakistan lies between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and lies on the Indus-Tsangpo suture region, about 200 km north of the Himalayan front, which makes the region susceptible to earthquakes.
The region has the highest rate of seismicity and the largest earthquakes in the Himalayan region, mainly due to motion on the thrust fault. The country has experienced several earthquakes in recent years.
This is not the first time that a major earthquake has occurred in Balochistan province, which remains mostly open and mountainous and with many people living in remote areas.
A massive earthquake struck parts of the province in September 2013, but its epicenter was in the Avaran district, killing about 825 people and injuring thousands and damaging thousands of homes in the southwestern province.
One of the worst earthquakes to hit the country in recent years was on October 8, 2005, which killed more than 74,000 people.
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