KARACHI/KOLKATA—A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked southern Pakistan Tuesday, damaging several houses near the epicenter in Balochistan province.
The tremors that lasted almost a minute caused widespread panic in the cities of Sindh province like Karachi and Hyderabad in India. People rushed out of their offices and homes in Karachi, the country’s largest city, and other parts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
An emergency was declared in hospitals in Awaran. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to property in other areas.
The strong tremor occurred inland in Balochistan province about 69 kilometers north-northeast of Awaran District (population: 118,173 as of 2010 survey) at a shallow depth of 15 kilometers.
Mohammad Hanif, an official at Pakistan’s meteorological office, said the intensity of the tremors was measured in different areas of Pakistan between 7 to 8 on the Ricther Scale.
National Seismic Monitoring Centre Director Zahid Rafi said that the tremors were of “great intensity” in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and in some remote areas of the province. The tremors could have caused damage and casualties, he said.
“The affected areas include Jaffarabad, Noskhi, Kalat, Windar, Naseerabad, Phunjgur and Mastung,” Rafi said.
Initial television reports showed that aftershocks were felt in the province of Balochistan including Quetta, the provincial capital.
“Some houses have been damaged in Awaran and Chaghai areas of Balochistan,” Latif Kakar, Director Provincial Disaster Management Authority told DawnNews.
The earthquake was also felt in the adjoining province of Sindh, including the cities of Karachi, Jacobabad, Khairpur, and Nowshero Feroz.
Minor tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital city of New Delhi, while office workers in the city of Ahmedabad near the border with Pakistan ran out of buildings and into the street.
According to the Times of India, strong tremors shook tall buildings in New Delhi, sending people running out into the streets.
In April a 7.8-magnitude quake centered in southeast Iran, close to the border with Balochistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistani side of the border. With INQUIRER.net in Manila
Originally posted at 8:10 p.m.