Earthquake of 3.3 magnitude hits Panjgur, Balochistan

• The epicentre of the earthquake was about 85 km north of the Panjgur district.
• Some panicked residents went out as a precaution.
• There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

Panjgur: An earthquake of 3.3 magnitude hit parts of Panjgur in Balochistan early on Wednesday, with its epicentre about 85 kilometres north of the district.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s National Seismological Monitoring Center (NSMC) said the earthquake’s magnitude was measured at 3.3 and it was recorded at a depth of 12 kilometres.

It said the epicentre of the earthquake was about 85 kilometres north of the district headquarters.

Residents reported feeling brief aftershocks, prompting some to evacuate as a precaution. However, officials said there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage after the earthquake.

The earthquake had a moderate magnitude of 5.2.

A moderate earthquake of 5.2 magnitude struck Karachi and parts of Balochistan in the early hours of 15 December, causing panic among citizens.

NSMC said the epicentre of the earthquake was at Sonmiani in Balochistan at a depth of 12 kilometres, and its epicentre was about 87 kilometres from Karachi.

Earthquake tremors were felt in Hub, Winder and Gadani in Balochistan.

On December 14, an earthquake of 3.2 magnitude hit Sibi City and surrounding areas in Balochistan, with its epicentre 53 kilometres away from the city, while on December 3, mild tremors were felt in Khuzdar and Sibi districts.

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck Khuzdar at a depth of 15 km, with its epicentre about 80 km southwest of the city, while a magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck Sibi at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre about 50 km southwest of Sibi.

Some parts of the province had earlier faced mild tremors in November also.

On November 8, PMD’s seismic centre reported that tremors, with a magnitude of 5.0, hit Ziarat and surrounding areas.

The epicentre of the earthquake was reported to be 67 kilometres northeast of Quetta.

The last major earthquake in Ziarat occurred in 2008, killing more than 200 people and injuring about 500.

Entire villages were destroyed, and hundreds of homes and government buildings were reduced to rubble, forcing more than 15,000 people from their homes.

The country has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, from the 2005 northern earthquake that killed 73,000 people to the devastating 1935 earthquake in Quetta that took nearly 30,000 lives.

Balochistan province sits along a massive seismic hotspot, where the Indian Plate pushes against the Eurasian Plate.

As the country’s largest province, it has a very small population, making rescue and relief operations particularly difficult.