Government officials said that early this morning, when people were sleeping, a shallow earthquake occurred in southern Pakistan, killing about 20 people and injuring more than 200 others.

After a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred in Balochistan, roofs and walls collapsed and many victims died. The power outage forced health workers to use flashlights to treat the wounded.

The hardest-hit area was the remote mountain city of Hanai, where the lack of paved roads, electricity and mobile phone coverage hindered rescuers. The Minister of the Interior of Balochistan Province Mirzia Ulla Langau said: “The information we have received is that 20 people were killed in the earthquake.” Suhail Anwar Hashmi, a senior provincial government official, said that the 20 people included a woman and 6 children, adding that “more than 200 people were injured.”

Hashmi said: “We will soon dispatch helicopters to the area to help support rescue operations and evacuate the wounded.” Nasser Nassar, director of the Balochistan Disaster Management Bureau, warned that the number of casualties could rise. The earthquake caused power outages in the area, and health workers worked until dawn in the poorly equipped government hospital without lights. Before dawn, “we work without electricity with the help of flashlights and mobile flashlights,” said Zahoor Tarin, a senior official at the government-run Harnai Hospital. “Most of the injured had broken limbs.

Dozens of people were sent back after first aid,” he said, adding that “at least 40 people were seriously injured.” “We have implemented an emergency in the hospital and are providing treatment for them.” The individual is helping to take the injured to the hospital.

According to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.7, and it occurred at about 3 in the morning, with a focal depth of approximately 20 kilometers. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, also felt the quake.

Pakistan straddles the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian plates, making the country prone to earthquakes. In October 2015, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred in Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing nearly 400 people on rugged terrain, which hindered rescue efforts. On October 8, 2005, the country was also hit by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake, which killed more than 73,000 people and made about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir region.

News Source : RTE