Balochistan Corps Commander visits earthquake-hit areas

• Necessary medical care being given by army, FC doctors and paramedics to people of the affected areas.
• Critically injured individuals have been shifted to Quetta's Combined Military Hospital.
• 300 special food and administrative packages have been provided to the affected population.

HARNAI:  Balochistan Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sarfraz Ali on Friday visited the earthquake-hit areas of Balochistan to oversee the work of troops taking part in rescue and relief operations in Harnai.

Per a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Army's urban search and rescue team is busy carrying out speedy rescue and relief efforts in Harnai.

Necessary medical care is being provided by the army and Frontier Corps (FC) doctors and paramedics to people of the affected areas, while all critically injured individuals have been shifted to Quetta's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) with the help of the Pakistan Army's aviation helicopters.

A large number of injured were also evacuated by road, the statement said, adding that about 300 special food and administrative packages —including tents, blankets, and meals — have been provided to the affected population.

At least 20 killed, hundreds injured after powerful earthquake jolts Balochistan

A strong earthquake in different parts of Balochistan killed at least 20 people and injured more than 300 others early Thursday morning while aftershocks were felt in different areas after the quake. 

The earliest tremors were felt at 3:20am after which panicked citizens rushed out of their houses, reciting the kalima and verses from the holy Quran. Relief and rescue activities are underway in the affected areas with an emergency declared in all hospitals.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), most of the deceased are children.

The quake had affected Quetta, Sibi, Harnai, Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Chaman, Ziarat and Zhob in Balochistan. The magnitude of the quake was measured at 5.9 on the Richter scale.

The death toll is feared to rise. According to the seismological centre, the epicentre was located near Harnai at a depth of 15km.

Much of the damage appears to have affected the Harnai district, officials said. Harnai, which is located east of the provincial capital Quetta, has a large number of coal mines.