5.1 magnitude quake shakes Balochistan

Epicentre in Khuzdar; no casualties reported.

QUETTA:

A moderate earthquake of 5.1 magnitude was felt in different parts of Balochistan on Saturday afternoon at 2:37 pm. No loss of life or property has been reported so far.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 72 kilometres West-Southwest of Khuzdar district, 300-kilometer south of Quetta and measured 5.1 on the Richter scale, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Tremors shook Awaran, Kech, Khuzdar and nearby towns already reeling with the shock of the 7.7 and 6.8 magnitude earthquakes that flattened 95% of Awaran and Kech districts and killed more than 500 people in the last week of September.

People are still facing hardship due to insufficient supply of relief. National Humanitarian Network (NHN), a non-governmental organization currently engaged in relief operations in Awaran and Kech districts, has said there is acute shortage of clean drinking water that may lead to outbreak of epidemics in coming days.

He criticised the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) taking a lead in distribution of relief goods. “Security personnel are taking complete charge of relief goods distribution that is another big problem in the area because local people are not accepting relief from them,” he said.

“Non-profit organisations and political government should carry out relief work and security forces should limit their role to providing security,” he demanded.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2013.