Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa directed Pakistan Army troops will provide assistance to the civil administration in providing relief to earthquake affectees in Balochistan.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
On Thursday, a major rescue operation, involving army, levies, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and aid agencies, was launched to provide medical care to the victims, besides food and relief supplies to the stricken population.
An Urban Search and Rescue Team was also dispatched from Rawalpindi to assist in the rescue operation. The inspector general of the Frontier Corps Balochistan also reached Harnai and inspected the damage caused by the earthquake.
At least 20 people were killed and over 300 sustained injuries, some of them seriously, after a devastating Earthquake Affectees in Balochistan on Thursday knocked down scores of houses at a time when many victims were asleep, officials and medics in several districts confirmed.
According to Met department, a 5.9 earthquake struck at 3:01 am. The epicentre of the Earthquake was near Harnai at a depth of 15 kilometres. The tremors were felt in Quetta, Sibi, Chaman, Ziarat, Qila Abdullah, Zhob, Loralai, Pishin, Muslim Bagh and other areas of the country.
Reports suggested that more than 70 houses collapsed, while several other buildings were damaged, forcing hundreds of people to come out in the open. Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langau said that most of the casualties were reported from Harnai district.
