At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a shallow earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan in the early hours of Thursday, with rescuers trying to reach coal miners reportedly trapped underground.
Many of the victims died when the roofs and walls of their mud brick houses collapsed after the 5.9 magnitude quake struck Balochistan province in darkness at around three in the morning.
It was felt across at least six cities and towns, but the worst-affected area was the remote mountainous district of Harnai, where landslides triggered by the jolt blocked some roads, hampering rescue efforts.
Authorities are also contending with phone and electricity outages after pylons were damaged.
“We are receiving information that 20 people have been killed due to the earthquake,” said Balochistan’s home minister Mir Zia ullah Langau, adding that 100 people were injured.
“It is safe to say that hundreds of mud houses were damaged.”
A woman and six children were among 20 dead, Suhail Anwar Hashmi, the top government official in Harnai district told AFP, putting the number of injured at around 200.
“There are reports that some 15 coal miners are trapped in a mine on the outskirts of the town due to the quake,” he added, saying a rescue team had been dispatched.
It is common in Pakistan for miners to work at night when temperatures are cooler.
Army helicopters were helping to evacuate the injured from remote areas to Quetta, the nearest major city.
“Our rescue teams have cleared 50 per cent of the roads leading to the Harnai while remaining roads will be cleared in the next two to three hours,” Balochistan’s home minister Langau added, highlighting the strain rescue teams were under.
The quake caused electricity to fail in the area, with health staff working until dawn without lights in the district’s poorly equipped government hospital.
