15 killed in powerful new Balochistan earthquake

AWARAN: A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan Saturday in a region which is already devastated by a tremor which left more than 400 people dead and countless homeless on September 24.

According to the US Geological Survey which measured the earthquake at 6.8, the new quake struck the remote district of Awaran at a depth of 14 kilometres at 12:34 pm (PST).

“It was not an aftershock, it was an independent earthquake,” Zahid Raif, director of the National Seismic Centre of Pakistan told Geo News.

According to the FC spokesman, at least 15 people had been killed and over 50 injured in Saturday’s earthquake in Awaran.

Deputy Commissioner of Awaran, Abdul Rasheed Baloch told Geo News that the quake destroyed hundreds of mud houses in the Mashkay area, saying that "a lot of people have been trapped under the rubble".

"The telephone system has been disrupted and we are not able to talk to someone to get the exact information about the losses... But we have reports of severe losses in that area," Baloch said.

On Tuesday, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake shattered Awaran in Balochistan. Relief efforts in the district have been thwarted by insurgent attacks on rescue convoys.