Magnitude 7.2 quake strikes Pakistan

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160829.html


An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 has hit southwestern Pakistan, causing three deaths, a number of injuries to a number of locals, and damage to structures.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake struck at 1:23 a.m. local time on Wednesday (2023 GMT on Tuesday), 55 kilometers (34 miles) west of Dalbandin, Balochistan province and at a depth of 83 kilometers (52 miles), Reuters reported.

Local media have reported three deaths so far.

In Dalbandin, several people were injured when the roofs of their houses collapsed, according to provincial Transport Minister Amanullah Notizai.

A three-story building has also been damaged in the port city of Karachi.

In the Indian border province of Rajasthan, cracks appeared in the walls of some rural dwellings.

Tremors were also felt as far away as Dubai and New Delhi.

US seismologist Don Blakeman said the earthquake depth was revised to be deeper than originally thought -- potentially limiting the effects. The initial USGS report said the quake was quite shallow, with a depth of 6.3 miles (10 kilometers).

Its epicenter was in a remote area 320 kilometers (200 miles) southwest of the Baluchistan capital Quetta, not far from the Afghan border, said chief Pakistani meteorologist Arif Mahmood.

There have been no reports of major damage in Dalbandin, Karan, and Quetta, three towns that are closest to the quake's epicenter.

Local TV has reported that the quake was felt throughout Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces in Pakistan, as well as in parts of Iran and India.

Many people in the country's largest city, Karachi, rushed out into the streets in panic after the quake.

The USGS initially reported the quake had a magnitude of 7.4. Quakes of 7.0 to 7.9 are classified as major; anything over 8.0 is classified as great.

The Pacific Tsunami Centre announced that the earthquake had not caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Earthquakes often rattle the region. A magnitude 7.6 quake, which occurred on October 8, 2005, killed about 80,000 people in northwestern Pakistan and Kashmir and left more than 3 million homeless.