Balochistan cities jolted by strong earthquake

No human loss reported yet

PASNI: A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Pasni, Turbat, Gwadar and their adjoining areas in Balochistan province in the wee hours of Wednesday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed.

No human casualties were reported so far. However, some houses and walls have collapsed in Pasni.

The earthquake hit the area at 3:03am when people were asleep and its epicentre was 23 kilometres southwest of Pasni. They awoke from deep sleep in shock and rushed out of homes amid panic.

The district administrations had issued high alert and precautionary measures. Pakistan Weather Portal’s (PWP) report states earthquake activity in Pakistan is mainly concentrated in the north and western sections of the country along the boundary of the Indian plate and the Iranian and Afghan micro-plates.

The Chaman Fault runs along Pakistan’s western frontier with Afghanistan from Kalat in the northern Makran range past Quetta and then on to Kabul, Afghanistan. A fault also runs along the Makran coast and is believed to be of the same nature as the West Coast fault along the coast of Maharashtra, India.