Pakistan's new 6.8 earthquake: 22 dead, toll likely to rise

Injured Pakistani earthquake survivors are shifted by relatives to an ambulance in the devastated district of Awaran on September 28, 2013. A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan, killing at least 22 people in a region already devastated by a tremor which left more than 300 people dead this week, local officials said. (AFP)

A Pakistani volunteer distributes biscuit to earthquake survivor girls near their collapsed mud houses in the earthquake-devastated district of Awaran on September 27, 2013. The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude quake which hit the vast, impoverished province of Baluchistan stands at 359 and even after three days the government is struggling to reach survivors. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says it has dispatched 25,000 tents and 6,000 blankets to the affected areas, as more than 100,000 people made homeless by the quake face a third day in scorching heat. (AFP)

Pakistani drivers gather beside their trucks carrying earthquake relief supplies before departure in Peshawar on September 27, 2013. The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude quake which hit the vast, impoverished province of Baluchistan stands at 359 and even after three days the government is struggling to reach survivors. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says it has dispatched 25,000 tents and 6,000 blankets to the affected areas, as more than 100,000 people made homeless by the quake face a third day in scorching heat. (AFP)

Pakistani soldiers patrol at Labach area, in the earthquake-devastated district of Awaran on September 26, 2013. Tens of thousands of survivors of Pakistan's earthquake waited for help in soaring temperatures on September 26 as the death toll rose to nearly 350 and anger grew at the slow pace of government aid. More than 100,000 people made homeless by a 7.7-magnitude quake spent a second night in the open or under makeshift shelters as response teams struggled to reach the remote region in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. (AFP)

A Pakistani driver (R) prepares his truck carrying earthquake relief supplies before departure in Peshawar on September 27, 2013. The death toll from the 7.7-magnitude quake which hit the vast, impoverished province of Baluchistan stands at 359 and even after three days the government is struggling to reach survivors. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says it has dispatched 25,000 tents and 6,000 blankets to the affected areas, as more than 100,000 people made homeless by the quake face a third day in scorching heat. (AFP)

Published Sunday, September 29, 2013

By Agencies

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 22 people in a region already devastated by a tremor which left more than 300 people dead this week, local officials said.

Saturday's 6.8 magnitude aftershock destroyed most of the town of Nokjo in the western province of Baluchistan, police said. The town is home to at least 15,000 people.

At least 515 people were killed in Tuesday's earthquake in the same province, officials said on Friday. The death toll from Saturday's aftershock may rise, said Khan Wasey, the spokesman for the paramilitary Frontier Corps.

The NCMS here in the UAE reported that no tremors of this latest quake were felt here.

New tremor

The new tremor struck 96 kilometres northeast of the district of Awaran at a depth of 14 km at 1234 (0734 GMT) according to the US Geological Survey.

An official at the National Centre for Meterology and Seismology (NCMS) confirmed to Emirates 24|7 that no aftershocks was reported in UAE.

According to the US Geological Survey, the new quake struck 96-kms northeast of the district of Awaran at a depth of 14km at 1234 (0734 GMT).

"It was not an aftershock it was an independent earthquake," Zahid Rafi, director of the National Seismic Centre of Pakistan, told Geo TV.

Awaran, a remote region in the province of Baluchistan, was shattered by a 7.7-magnitude quake on Tuesday which left 359 dead and more than 100,000 people homeless.

An AFP reporter in Awaran said Saturday that hundreds of patients being treated in the aftermath of the previous quake fled a hospital in panic as the new tremor hit.

"We are checking but no reports of losses have yet been received," Jan Mohammad Buledi, spokesman for the provincial government of Baluchistan told AFP.

Pakistan's chief meteorologist Arif Mehmood told television channel Express News that the magnitude of Saturday's quake measured 7.2.

Deputy Commissioner of Awaran, Abdul Rasheed Baloch told Geo TV that quake destroyed hundreds of mud houses in the Mashkey area, saying that "a lot of people have been trapped under the rubble".

"The telephone system has been damaged and we are not able to talk to someone and find out the exact information about the losses... But we have reports of severe losses in that area," Baloch said.

Rescue efforts in Mashkey, where the epicentre of the first quake was located, had already been complicated by insurgent groups in the area who have launched attacks on relief convoys, with local officials saying some 30,000 survivors are still waiting for aid.
The area is a stronghold of Baluch separatist rebels waging a decade-long insurgency against the Pakistani state.

The situation has forced officials to abandon efforts to reach survivors directly, saying instead they will work through village committees and private NGOs.

Abdul Malik, provincial chief minister of Baluchistan, told AFP that food and other rescue items would be distributed through local villagers.
He appealed to the local separatist groups to allow rescue officials to reach the survivors.

"It is a humanitarian tragedy and I appeal them to allow rescue workers to help the survivors," Malik told AFP late Friday.
Manan Baloch, a leader of the Baluchistan National Movement, allied to the Baluchistan Liberation Front, told AFP that his group will only allow private NGOs and local officials to help survivors.

"We will not allow army or FC (paramilitary Frontier Corps) here, only NGOs or local officials are allowed to come here," he said.
A Pakistan army officer in Awaran told AFP the military only wanted to help locals.

"They are not ready to accept us," he said on condition of anonymity.
An AFP reporter in Awaran on Saturday said aid workers along with trucks loaded with food, clothes and, medicine were seen moving towards Mashkey.

On Thursday, a helicopter carrying the head of the NDMA came under rocket fire by insurgents while flying in Awaran district. No-one was hurt and no damage was done.

On Friday, insurgents opened fire on another helicopter and, in two separate incidents, fired on rescue convoys, officials said, adding that no one was hurt in the attacks.

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The page was last updated on: 14 January 2016 09:48