Moderate 5.0 earthquake ruffles southern Pakistan

QUETTA: A moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Pakistan on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

The epicentre of the quake was 70 kilometres (43 miles) southeast of Sibi, in southern Balochistan, and 72 kilometers (44 miles) north of Jacobabad in Sindh.

"Tremors were felt at 5:02 pm local time in Sibi and Quetta cities in the Baluchistan province," meteorologist Arif Mehmood told AFP.

"The earthquake struck at the depth of 10 kilometres," he addded.

Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.