Guwahati News Desk: At least 20 dead and over 300 injured after a powerful earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck Balochistan on Thursday.
The recent quake jolted a mountainous part of Pakistan’s Balochistan province in the early part of Thursday, collapsing several houses.
As informed by the National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad, the epicentre of the earthquake was near Harnai at a depth of around 15 kilometres. Hence, most of the deaths and injuries were reported from the remote north-eastern district of Harnai.
The Centre also informed that the quake affected Quetta, Sibi, Harnai, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Chaman, Ziarat and Zhob in Balochistan.
Moreover, the Deputy Commissioner of Harnai district, Sohail Anwar Hashmi, confirmed the death toll of 20.
According to Hashmi, several people were in critical condition and were immediately rushed to the hospital. He said that several buildings in Harnai were also damaged.
He added that many people were buried under the rubble, more than 100 mud houses also collapsed, that left hundreds of people homeless, and even the power supply to the area was suspended.
According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), many of the dead were women and children.
Informing that assistance and evacuation efforts were underway, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, Jam Kamal Khan Alyani, tweeted, “Blood, ambulances, emergency assistance, [helicopters] and rest all things are placed… All departments are working on it.”
Meanwhile, several images circulated on social media, showing people in the city of Quetta out on the streets in the aftermath of the quake.
Furthermore, aftershocks were still being felt in different areas.
