sister herb
Official TTI Chef
At least 45 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan, according to local officials.
The provincial government has declared an emergency in Awaran district of Balochistan, the area worst hit by the quake, which struck at 4:29pm local time (11:29 GMT) at a depth of 15km.
The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the department tasked with responding to such incidents in Pakistan, put the death toll at 45, with more than 100 injured.
Brigadier Syed Wajid Raza, ERRA's chief of staff, told Al Jazeera that many people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The Pakistani military, meanwhile, has said that it has commenced rescue operations in the area.
The USGS originally measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.4 and depth of 29km, but later revised that figure. Pakistan's meteorological office said the magnitude was 7.7.
The USGS released this "Shake Map" of Tuesday's tremor [USGS]
Tremors were felt across the province as well as in the port city of Karachi, residents have said. Mild tremors were also felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi.
The epicentre was in a remote, thinly populated mountainous area of Balochistan with no major industrial installations.
Muhammad Riaz, a senior Pakistan meteorologist, told local media that the earthquake was "major" and that "heavy destruction" was likely.
Mumtaz Baloch, a senior local administration official in Awaran district, 350km southwest of provincial capital Quetta, told AFP: "There are reports of houses being collapsed in the district due to earthquake."
"We also have initial information about injuries to people as a result of the collapse of houses but there are no reports of any deaths. We have dispatched our teams to the affected area to ascertain the losses."
In April, a 7.8-magnitude quake centred in southeast Iran, close to the border with Balochistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistan side of the border.
354
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
The provincial government has declared an emergency in Awaran district of Balochistan, the area worst hit by the quake, which struck at 4:29pm local time (11:29 GMT) at a depth of 15km.
The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), the department tasked with responding to such incidents in Pakistan, put the death toll at 45, with more than 100 injured.
Brigadier Syed Wajid Raza, ERRA's chief of staff, told Al Jazeera that many people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The Pakistani military, meanwhile, has said that it has commenced rescue operations in the area.
The USGS originally measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.4 and depth of 29km, but later revised that figure. Pakistan's meteorological office said the magnitude was 7.7.
The USGS released this "Shake Map" of Tuesday's tremor [USGS]
Tremors were felt across the province as well as in the port city of Karachi, residents have said. Mild tremors were also felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi.
The epicentre was in a remote, thinly populated mountainous area of Balochistan with no major industrial installations.
Muhammad Riaz, a senior Pakistan meteorologist, told local media that the earthquake was "major" and that "heavy destruction" was likely.
Mumtaz Baloch, a senior local administration official in Awaran district, 350km southwest of provincial capital Quetta, told AFP: "There are reports of houses being collapsed in the district due to earthquake."
"We also have initial information about injuries to people as a result of the collapse of houses but there are no reports of any deaths. We have dispatched our teams to the affected area to ascertain the losses."
In April, a 7.8-magnitude quake centred in southeast Iran, close to the border with Balochistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistan side of the border.
354
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies