Strong earthquake hits south-west Pakistan

A strong earthquake measuring 7.2 has hit south-western Pakistan, in a desert area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, the US Geological Survey says.

The quake struck at 0123 on Wednesday (2023 GMT on Tuesday), some 55 km (34 miles) west of Dalbandin in Pakistan. Reports of its depth were variable.

It was located several hundred kilometres from the Pakistani city of Quetta and the city of Zahedan, Iran.

The 7.6-magnitude Kashmir earthquake of October 2005 killed 73,000 people.

In its initial reports the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake happened at a depth of just 10km (6.2 miles).

Earthquakes at such a shallow depth have the potential to cause major destruction and loss of life.

However, a later bulletin from the USGS revised the depth of the quake to 84km (52 miles) underground, potentially limiting the effects.

Frequent quakes

The area hit by the recent earthquake is sparsely populated and is located in a seismically active zone.

However, major population centres are fairly close to the epicentre.

The Iranian city of Zahedan, some 310km (195 miles) west of the quake, is home to some 570,000 people.

The historic Iranian city of Bam, west of Zahedan, was devastated by an earthquake in 2003.

In Pakistan, the Baluchistan provincial capital of Quetta is also home to 560,000 people.

The Pakistani province of Baluchistan is a focus of some militant activity, sharing a long and porous border with conflict zones in southern Afghanistan.

No immediate details of any damage were available, but reports said the quake was felt in neighbouring provinces.

TV reports said the quake was felt as far away as Karachi and outside the quake zone in Dubai in the Gulf.

Pakistan is still dealing with the aftermath of devastating floods in the 2010 monsoon season, as well as battling Taliban militants in several tribal areas.