22 killed, over 300 injured in earthquake in Pak Balochistan province

A powerful 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted a mountainous part of Pakistan's Balochistan province early on Thursday, resulting in collapse of several houses that left at least 22 people dead and over 300 others injured, officials said. Disaster management officials said the death toll may increase, Geo News reported. The National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad reported that the epicentre of the earthquake was near Harnai at a depth of around 15 kilometres. It further said the exact damage has not yet been confirmed. The quake affected Quetta, Sibi, Harnai, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Chaman, Ziarat and Zhob in Balochistan. Most of the deaths and injuries were reported from the remote north-eastern district of Harnai. The US Geological Survey said it was a 5.9 magnitude quake that struck at a shallow depth. Shallow quakes can cause more damage. The death toll of 22 was confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Harnai District Sohail Anwar Hashmi. There were six children among the ...

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