Pakistan

Earthquake kills over 150, thousands homeless

Article published on the 2008-10-29 Latest update 2008-10-29 11:05 TU

Residents dig through rubble in Ziarat
(Photo: Reuters/Express TV)

A powerful earthquake has hit Pakistan's Baluchistan province, killing at least 160 people according to officials. The quake hit 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Quetta, causing devastation on the historic hill town of Ziarat.

"Around 160 people have died so far," said Khushal Khan, spokesperson for the revenue minister of the gas-rich province, Zamarak Khan, adding that 29 member of the same family had been among the dead.

Residents in the region around Ziarat, which is 50 kilometres north of Quetta, say that about 6,000 people have been displaced.

The 6.4 magnitude quake destroyed traditional mud houses and the tremors triggered landslides of rocks and boulders which hit homes as people slept.

The military hae sent teams to the area to assess the damage and help with the relief operation.

"The initial information that we are getting out of them is that most of the buildings that they have seen have just gone to the ground," says the Pakistani Red Crescent's Asar ul Haq. "There’s nothing."

But he says that roads are mostly intact, making a swift response possible.

"Pakistan Red Crescent Society has already dispatched relief items for 300 families," he told RFI.