A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing hundreds in Balochistan, besides creating a new island off the Gwadar coastline in its wake, Express News reported. Tremors were felt as far as the Indian capital New Delhi.
The Deputy Speaker Balochistan Assembly stated that at least 150 people had died from the disaster in the province. The quake struck at 4:29 pm local time (1129 GMT) around 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the city of Khuzdar in Balochistan province, at a depth of 15 kilometres. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.7, recording its duration as eight seconds.
The area most affected by the quake were Awaran and Khuzdar, with over 90% of the villages/communities in Awaran were destroyed.
Pakistan Army started an emergency rescue operation immediately.
Director General ISPR, Major General Asim Bajwa tweeted that 300 soldiers are already in the area, with the number expected to rise to 1000 by tomorrow morning. Khuzdar would be used as base for the rescue effort.
News Courtesy: Express Tribune
Posts
