Pakistan earthquake death toll rises to 357

AWARAN: The death toll from a huge earthquake in southwest Pakistan this week has soared to 357 people with more than 500 injured, officials said Thursday, among fears the toll could still rise.The...

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AFP
Pakistan earthquake death toll rises to 357
AWARAN: The death toll from a huge earthquake in southwest Pakistan this week has soared to 357 people with more than 500 injured, officials said Thursday, among fears the toll could still rise.

The 7.7-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday afternoon in Balochistan province's remote Awaran district -- a dirt-poor expanse of land that is roughly the size of Wales.

According to officials 312 deaths have been reported in Awaran district and 44 in Kech.

Besides flattening homes and affecting more than 300,000 people in six districts, according to the Balochistan government, the earthquake also created a new island off the Gwadar coast.

The army has rushed medical staff and troops to the devastated area to help with rescue efforts, along with seven tonnes of food and a tonne of medicine.

Six helicopters are taking part in rescue work, the military said.

The scale of the territory involved is daunting. Balochistan, Pakistan's least developed province, makes up about 45 percent of the country's total area, and Awaran's population is scattered over more than 21,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles).

On top of the difficult terrain, the area is rife with militants as well as bandits.

Taking notice of the delays in relief efforts, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed to increase the number of helicopters.

Tremors were felt on Tuesday as far away as New Delhi and even Dubai in the Gulf.