Pakistan Earthquake

Pakistan Earthquake, (AP) – A major earthquake of magnitude 7.2 rocked a remote area of southwestern Pakistan early Wednesday, shaking many parts of the country and causing tremors as far away as India and the UAE.

The earthquake was centered in the province of Baluchistan, the area in the country’s most sparsely populated, “said United States Geological Service, occurring at 01:30, local time, at a depth of about 50 miles (84 km .

Its epicenter was located in a remote area south-west about 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the capital of Baluchistan is Quetta, said the Pakistani leader Arif Mahmood meteorologist, near the Afghan border.

The nearest town to the epicenter was Dalbandin, with a population of about 15,000 people and is so remote that the hills surrounding the site were Chagai Pakistan’s nuclear tests in 1998.

There was no word on damage in Dalbandin. But another town near the epicenter, Karan has not suffered major damage, “said Fateh Bangar, Deputy Commissioner Karan. The city was some 45 miles (70 kilometers) from the epicenter, “he said.

Nasir Baluch, a police officer in Karan said mud houses collapsed or were damaged in an area outside the city called Mashkil. There was not in the immediate victims, but the region is sparsely populated, “he said.

There was no significant damage in Quetta, either, but the earthquake caused widespread panic in the city, residents said.

Local television reports said the quake was felt in several other provinces as well. Many residents in the largest city, Karachi, ran into the streets after the earthquake started, “said the report.

Karachi resident Mohammad Zubair said he was watching a cricket match on television when his bed began to shake.

“I jumped out of bed realizing that it was an earthquake,” said the 28-years. “My mother started reciting verses from the Koran, and we rushed outside.”

Tremors lasting at least 20 seconds were also felt as far away as Dubai in the UAE and in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Earthquakes frequently rattle the region. An earthquake measuring 7.6 on October 8, 2005, killed about 80,000 people in northwest Pakistan and Kashmir and left more than 3 million homeless.

Associated Press writer Ashraf Khan contributed to this report from Karachi.

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