Moderate earthquake rattles southwest Pakistan, destroys homes

Moderate earthquake rattles southwest Pakistan, destroys homes

2011-08-10 20:27:57 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISLAMABAD (BNO NEWS) -- A moderate earthquake struck southwest Pakistan on early Wednesday morning, seismologists said, reportedly destroying a number of homes in the region.

The 5.7-magnitude earthquake at 5.53 a.m. local time (0053 GMT) was centered about 147 kilometers (91 miles) south-southeast of Dalbandin, a town in Balochistan province. It struck about 54 kilometers (33 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that some 64,000 people may have felt moderate shaking, which can cause damage to buildings which are extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. Local Ary News Television reported a number of mud houses had collapsed as a result of the earthquake, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Earlier this year, on January 19, a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck 50 kilometers (30 miles) west-southwest of Dalbandin, causing some damage but no casualties. That earthquake struck at a depth of about 68 kilometers (42 miles).

On October 8, 2005, more than 79,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 others were injured when a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake rocked Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes in the modern history of Pakistan.

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