QUETTA: Pakistan Army has reached the remote mountainous of Harnai in Balochistan to carry out a rescue operation after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the region.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the troops of the Pakistan Army reached Harnai, the worst-effected area and started rescue and relief operations. The army personnel have started distributing food and other essential items among the quake-hit people.
The Pakistan Army’s doctors and paramedical staff have also reached Harnai with a supply of essential medicines. The military’s wing further said that nine severely injured people were airlifted to Quetta in a helicopter.
The Balochistan Frontier Corps Inspector General also reached the quake-hit area. In addition, an urban search and rescue team was being flown in from Rawalpindi to assist in rescue work. Nine critically injured patients were airlifted to Quetta in Pakistan Army helicopters.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck parts of Balochistan early on Thursday morning, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 300 others, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake was centred near the province’s Harnai district and had a depth of 15 kilometres. Tremors were felt in Quetta, Sibbi, Pishin, Muslim Bagh, Ziarat, Qila Abdullah, Sanjavi, Zhob and Chaman.
The death toll was confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Harnai District Sohail Anwar Hashmi. He said the injured, which include women and children, have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Harnai.
