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Over 70 die in strong earthquake in Pakistan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Oct 29, IRNA

Pakistan-Earthquake

Over 70 people were killed and many others injured when a 'destructive earthquake' jolted southwestern Pakistan early Wednesday.

Two tremors struck parts Balochistan when the people were asleep and locals fired shots in the air to wake the people up.

The first jolt of 5 magnitude on Richter scale shook parts of the province at 4.30 a.m., and the second strong of magnitude of 6.4, hit most parts at 5.05 a.m., the metrological department said.

District Ziyarat was most affected and local mayor Dilawar Khan said over 50 died in his area.

Provincial information minister Balochistan Mulazai said that over 70 people have died so for and the death toll could rise.

Head of the metrological center Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry said the earthquake is considered a 'destructive earthquake' as it was in the depth of only 10 kilometers.

Khan said that most houses in Ziyarat were collapsed and communication as well as power supply systems was destroyed.

Metrological officials said that epicenter of the quake was located some 70 kilometers northeast of Quetta, the provincial capital.

Army helicopters were called to shift injured to hospitals, officials said. Three villages of Ziyarat were completely devastated.

Army and paramilitary forces were sent to the affected areas for rescue and relief activities.

Mayor of Ziyarat said that severe cold in his area is affecting rescue and relief activities.

He said the displaced people are in urgent need of tents and food.

He said general public joined the relief agencies to pull bodies and injured out of the rubble and to shift them to hospital.

Officials said that the earthquake was also felt in Quetta, Pashin, Loralai, Qilla Abdullah, Sibbi, Bolan, Mastung and Zhob.

Balochistan, the most backward but rich in natural resources, is considered to be center of earthquakes in the past.

Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in a powerful earthquake in Balochistan in 1935.

In October 2005, a magnitude-7.6 quake devastated northern Pakistan, and Kashmir killing around 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.