Pakistan earthquake: Hundreds people dead, over 200 injured

Islamabad: The death toll in Tuesday’s deadly Pakistan earthquake reached 208 on Wednesday, as per an international news agency. Hundreds others were injured after an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit the southwestern province of Balochistan yesterday. Officials said Awaran district in the province was the most affected where at least hundreds people were killed, over 200 injured and hundreds of houses leveled to ground. Several people were still trapped under debris of the collapsed houses and rescue teams along with army troops were carrying out the rescue operation.

Deaths were also reported from the Dandan area of Kech district and from Pasini, Turbat, Hub and Gwadar districts. The injured people were being shifted to district hospital in Awaran where several of them were in a critical condition. Following the request from the district administration, Pakistan Army sent 300 troops including rescue personnel and doctors along with medicines, tents, foods and helicopters to the area. The Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), mouthpiece of Pakistan Army, said they had setup a rescue base camp in the Khuzdar district of the province and had dispatched 300 troops to the affected areas and 700 more soldiers would join them on Wednesday morning.

According to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority, after the major earthquake that occurred at about 4:49 pm, five aftershocks hit the country including the one of 5.9 magnitudes. Emergency had been declared in five districts of the province including Awaran where majority of the houses were razed to ground. Several Army check posts and two buildings of paramilitary troops were also leveled to ground which injured several troops. The earthquake’s epicenter located in Awaran district, some 645 km away from the Balochistan’s capital Quetta.
Major Tremors and aftershocks that lasted for 20 to 40 minutes also jolted northern India. The earthquake created panic among the residents; however, no loss of life or property was reported. 

Bureau Report