Pakistan: 20 Killed As 5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Country, 200 Injured

The worst-affected area was the remote mountainous city of Harnai, in Balochistan, where a lack of paved roads, electricity and mobile phone coverage has hampered the rescue effort.

New Delhi: A earthquake in southern Pakistan left 20 people dead and 200 people injured in the early hours of Thursday, according to AFP sources. Most of the victims died when roofs and walls collapsed after the 5.7 magnitude quake struck. Health workers sprung into action treating the injured with the help of torches after electricity failed.

A woman and six children were among 20 dead, Suhail Anwar Hashmi, a senior provincial government official told AFP. "More than 200 injured in the earthquake that struck southern Pakistan this morning," Reuters quoted Disaster Management Authority Director General Naseer Nasir as saying.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake had a magnitude of 5.7 and struck around 3 am at a depth of around 20 kilometres (12 miles).

However, rescue efforts are underway. "We are receiving information that 20 people have been killed due to the earthquake. Rescue efforts are underway," provincial interior minister Mir Zia ullah Langau added.

Even as the head of Balochistan's Provincial Disaster Management authority Naseer Nasar informed that around 20 people had died but the toll may increase.

The remote mountainous city of Harnai, in Balochistan, was severely affected where a lack of paved roads, electricity, and mobile phone coverage has hampered the rescue effort.

The quake caused electricity to fail in the region, with health staff working without lights in a poorly equipped government hospital. "We were operating without electricity with the help of torches and mobile flashlights," Zahoor Tarin, a senior official at the government-run Harnai hospital told AFP.

"Most of the injured came with fractured limbs. Dozens of people were sent back after first aid while some 40 people who were critically injured have been sent to Quetta in ambulances," he added. The earthquake was also felt in Balochistan's provincial capital Quetta.

Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.

In October 2015, a 7.5-magnitude quake in Pakistan and Afghanistan left 400 people dead across rugged terrain that hampered relief efforts.

Earlier in October 8, 2005, the 7.6-magnitude quake killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.