DHAKA: A strong earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck the southwestern province of Balochistan on Tuesday, killing at least 55 people and prompting a new island to rise from the sea just off Pakistan`s southern coast, officials said.

Spokesman Frontier Corps (FC) Khan Wasey had earlier said that 46 people including women and children were killed in Awaran and Kech districts of the province. He said more than one hundred have been injured in the earthquake also.

However, Spokesman for Balochistan government Jan Muhammad Buledi has said nine more dead bodies were retrieved from rubles in Kech district, raising the death toll to 55.

He said the nine dead include a woman and a child.

The government of Balochistan has dispatched 1000 tents, 500 food bags, medicines, 15 ambulances towards Awaran, Jan Buledi, the spokesman for Balochistan government told Dawn.com.

The chief spokesman for Pakistan`s National Disaster Management Authority, Mirza Kamran Zia, said most of the casualties occurred when houses collapsed on people inside.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors and paramedics, going from Mashkel town to quake-hit Awaran district, was attacked by unknown gunmen with no immediate reports of any casualty.

Security sources told Dawn.com that the unknown miscreants opened fire at the rescue team near Mashkel check post. However, the team remained unharmed.

Spokesman Balochistan government, Jan Muhammad Buledi has said that earthquake has affected six districts in the province.

Addressing a press conference, he said Awaran was the worst affected district where hundreds of mud-walled houses were demolished as result of the powerful earthquake.

Buledi said the districts include Kech, Gwadar, Khuzdar, Chaghi, Awaran and Panjgoor. “An emergency has been imposed in all districts to help the earthquake survivors,” he said.

The spokesman said the provincial government`s first priority was to rescue the earthquake survivors. “Rehabilitation is second priority,” he added.

He said that the earthquake has severely affected the communication system in the affected districts.

In response to a question about demanding foreign aid, Buledi said, “after assessing the damages, we would make the decision in this regard.”

He said injured were being shifted to Lasbela and Karachi for medical treatment.

Khairjan Baloch, Political Secretary to Chief Minister Balochistan and a former administrator in the worst-affected Awaran district had earlier confirmed the death of 30 people throughout the province.

Baloch said 30 people were killed in Awaran while there were reports of three other deaths in Turbat.

“Six dead bodies have been recovered in Awaran bazar,” said Deputy Commissioner Awaran, Abdul Rasheed Baloch, adding that four dead bodies have been recovered in far flung villages of the district. “I fear more people are trapped inside the collapsed houses,” he said.

Baloch said a rescue operation was launched in the area and all forces were placed on high alert to retrieve the people from the rubble. He said there were reports that hundreds of mud- houses in the district had also collapsed during tremors.

Chief Minister Balochistan Dr. Malik Baloch has ordered deputy commissioners of all 30 districts to remain on high alert in the aftermath of deadly quake. Spokesman for the government of Balochistan, Jan Buledi, told Dawn.com that a rescue operation had been launched in Awaran.

According to the US Geoplogical Survery, the intensity of the quake was measured at 7.8 on the Richter scale while the Pakistan meteorological office said the epicentre was located near Kharan area of Balochistan.

Mohammad Hanif, an official at the meteorological department, said the intensity was measured at 7.7 on the Ricther Scale, which he described as a “very strong earthquake”.

According to television reports, aftershocks were felt all over Balochistan including Quetta, the provincial capital. The earthquake was also felt in the adjoining province of Sindh, including 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 centred 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.

Quake creates new Island off Gwadar coast

The earthquake was so powerful that it caused the seabed to rise and create a small, mountain-like island about 600 meters (yards) off Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea.

A 30 to 40 feet high mountain-like island has emerged at western coast of Gwadar as result of the earthquake, Mozzam Jah, Deputy Inspector General Police Gwadar said.

He said a large number of people are gathered to witness the rare phenomenon.

Source: DAWN
BDST: 0821 HRS, SEP 25, 2013
AKA/RK