ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday ordered authorities to provide “immediate assistance” to people in the southwestern Balochistan province, where a 5.7 magnitude earthquake killed 20 people in the early hours of the morning.
Many of the victims died when roofs and walls collapsed after the quake, with a power cut forcing health workers to treat the injured using flashlights, AFP reported.
The worst-affected area was the remote mountainous city of Harnai, where a lack of paved roads, electricity and mobile phone coverage hampered rescuers.
A woman and six children were among the dead, Suhail Anwar Hashmi, a senior provincial government official told AFP, adding that more than 200 people had been injured.
“I have ordered immediate assistance on an emergency basis for the Harnai, Balochistan, earthquake victims, and for an immediate assessment of the damage for timely relief and compensation,“Khan said in a tweet. “My condolences and prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones.”
I have ordered immediate assistance on an emergency basis for the Harnai, Balochistan, earthquake victims & for an immediate assessment of the damage for timely relief & compensation. My condolences & prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 7, 2021
The Pakistan army’s media wing said security forces had reached Harnai and were helping in the relief and rescue efforts.
“Army doctors and paramedics along with necessary medicines are assisting civil administration for necessary medical care,” the military said, adding that essential supplies were being provided to the earthquake-hit population.
The army has flew out nine critically injured persons to Quetta, while an urban search and rescue team was on its way from Rawalpindi to expedite the search for missing individuals.
The US Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 5.7 and struck around 3am at a depth of around 20 kilometers (12 miles). It was also felt in Balochistan’s capital Quetta.
Pakistan straddles the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, making the country susceptible to earthquakes.
In October 2015, a 7.5-magnitude quake in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed almost 400 people across rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.
The country was also hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, 2005, that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.