7 Killed as 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Pakistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – At least seven people were killed, a dozen others injured while tens of houses collapsed when an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Saturday afternoon, local media reported.
Dunya TV said that the casualties happened when the earthquake leveled several houses in Nokjo town located in Balochistan's Awaran, a district already devastated by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred earlier on Tuesday, killing more than 350 people and injuring more than 600 others.
Epicenter of the Saturday afternoon earthquake was determined at 145 km northeast of Awaran at a focal depth of 47 km, local met office said.
Abdul Rasheed Gogazai, the Deputy Commissioner of Awaran, confirmed that several houses had collapsed due to earthquake in Nokjo town. But he failed to confirm the causality number, saying that they have dispatched rescue teams to the affected areas who would give final report after reaching there.
Seismic vibrations of the quake, which lasted for 20 to 30 seconds, were also felt in the country's southern Sindh province, causing panic among the people. But no loss of life was reported there.
The Met office said on its website that the quake struck the country at 12:34:13 pm local time (0734 GMT) with the epicenter determined to be at 27.43 degrees north latitude and 65.67 degrees east longitude.
