September 24,2013
USGS Map
The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter 41 miles north-northeast of Awaran in the province of Balochistan. Mirza Kamran Zia, chief spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Authority, said 39 people are confirmed dead, most of them buried when houses collapsed onto them. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts continue.
The tremor occurred at 7:29 a.m. Eastern time (4:29 p.m. local time) and shook the Pakistani mountain region, according to the USGS. The quake was relatively shallow, occurring just 12 miles (20 km) below ground, raising the potential for violent shaking near the epicenter.
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest but least populous province, with a population of just under 8 million in an area slightly smaller than Montana.
However, "moderate" to "rather strong" shaking (levels 4 and 5 on the 12-point Mercalli Intensity Scale) were estimated by the USGS across the heavily populated Indus River valley, home to some 140 million people.
The Times of India reported the tremor was felt as far away as New Delhi, the capital of neighboring India.
The earthquake was originally rated a 7.4 on the Richter scale but was later upgraded to a 7.8, and then revised to a 7.7. Following the temblor, the USGS issued a "Red Alert," giving a 73 percent chance of 1,000 or more deaths.
The quake was felt in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, along the Arabian Sea. People in the city's tall office buildings rushed into the streets following the tremor, and Pakistani television showed images of lights swaying as the earth moved.
TV footage showed residents in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan, coming out of their homes and offices in a panic. One man told Pakistan's Dunya television channel that he was sitting in his office when the building started shaking.
Other residents said people started reciting verses from Islam's holy book, the Quran, when the quake began.
Baluchistan and neighboring Iran are prone to earthquakes.
A magnitude 7.8, which was centered just across the border in Iran, killed at least 35 people in Pakistan in April.
A 5.9-magnitude aftershock was reported near the epicenter just seven minutes after the initial quake. At least four additional aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 5.6 followed, and additional aftershocks remain likely.
Information from the Associated Press is included in this report.
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(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
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