Deadly earthquake strikes Pakistan's Balochistan

A powerful earthquake of 7.7 magnitude has killed at least 30 people in a remote area of south-west Pakistan, local officials say.

It struck at 16:29 local time (11:29 GMT) at a depth of 20km (13 miles), 66km north-east of Awaran in Balochistan province, the United States Geological Survey said.

It was felt as far away as Karachi, Hyderabad, and India's capital, Delhi.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest but least populated province.

The province is prone to earthquakes, with at least 35 people killed in a 7.8-magnitude tremor that was centred in south-eastern Iran in April.
Mud houses
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper quoted Khairjan Baloch, an aide to Balochistan's chief minister, as confirming the deaths of 30 people.

Many of the casualties were from Labach, on the northern outskirts of Awaran town. There are reports of some people trapped under the rubble of collapsed houses.

Abdul Qadoos, deputy speaker of the Balochistan assembly, told Reuters news agency that at least 30% of houses in Awaran district had collapsed.

Houses are also reported to have caved in in the district of Khuzdar.

Officials in the regional capital, Quetta, said some areas may have suffered serious damage but the remoteness made early assessment impossible.

People in the region mostly live in mud houses as opposed to multi-story concrete structures, says the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani.

The few concrete buildings in the area mostly house government offices, he adds.

Pakistan's chief meteorologist Mohammad Riaz told reporters it was a major earthquake that could cause extensive damage.

"But it would depend on how dense the population is in the area around the epicentre," he said.

Light tremors were also said to have been felt in Karachi and Hyderabad, with reports of people rushing out of office buildings.