Two Killed In Pakistan Earthquake, 70 Injured

At least two people have been killed and 70 injured after a moderate earthquake hit southern Pakistan.

The magnitude 5.0 quake struck the district of Nawabshah, about 400 kilometres northeast of Karachi, according to Roshan Ali Sheikh, the top official at the province’s rehabilitation and disaster management department.

It hit around 4am Friday (9am Friday AEST) while many still slept, causing panic, he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 4.3 and struck about 12 kilometres north of Nawabshah, while the quake had a depth of 15.6 kilometres.

An official said the quake was felt in Nawabshah and several nearby small towns including Sakrand, Daur, Daulat Pur and Bandhi.

DAWN.com reported the quake caused the roofs of at least 25 buildings to collapse, burying people inside, and damaging about 100 houses in Nawabshah. Electricity supply to the area has also been disrupted.

Local administration official Irfan Kathio, told AFP an emergency has been declared at the city’s hospitals and district offices, with schools and colleges closed down, he said.

“We received 30 injured in our hospital, of whom one 71-year-old man died of his injuries,” Mohammad Hashim, a senior doctor at Nawabshah’s civil hospital, told AFP.

He said the condition of five of the injured was critical.

Taj Colony neighbourhood in Nawabshah was the worst affected, resident Ghulam Mustafa told AFP.

The quake was followed by two aftershocks measuring 4.7 and 4.9 magnitude with epicentres in northeast and northwest of Nawabshah, the meteorology official said.