Earthquake in Balochistan: Quake of Magnitude 3.3 on Richter Scale Jolts Khuzdar

Balochistan, December 21: A 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Khuzdar district in Balochistan, the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) said, adding that the tremor had a depth of 8 km, as quoted by Geo News. The epicentre was located about 70 km west of Khuzdar.

Following the quake, relevant authorities, closely observing the situation, said they were yet to receive any alarming reports from the areas where the seismic event took place. On December 3, mild tremors shook Khuzdar and Sibi districts. Earthquake in Pakistan: Quake of Magnitude 4.8 on Richter Scale Jolts Country, 5th Tremor in Less Than a Month.

Khuzdar experienced a 3.3-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 15km, with its epicentre 80km southwest of the city, while Sibi felt tremors of magnitude 4.0 at a depth of 10km, centred about 50km southwest of Sibi, as reported by Geo News.

The November 26 Sibi quake had a magnitude of 3.1, while its depth was recorded at around ten kilometres. The NSMC reported that the epicentre was located roughly 60 kilometres north-east of Sibi. The tremors did not last long and caused no damage. Parts of the province faced minor tremors earlier in November, also. Earthquake in Pakistan: Quake of Magnitude 4.2 on Richter Scale Jolts Country; No Casualties Reported.

On November 8, the PMD's seismic centre reported that tremors shook Ziarat and surrounding areas, registering a magnitude of 5.0, as per Geo News. The quake's epicentre was pinpointed 67 kilometres northeast of Quetta. The last major earthquake to hit Ziarat struck in 2008, claiming more than 200 lives and leaving around 500 injured.

Entire villages were flattened, and hundreds of homes and government buildings were reduced to rubble, forcing over 15,000 people from their homes, as per Geo News. The worst-hit areas were the small settlements of Ziarat, where roughly 170 people died, most of them women and children. While other districts, including Pishin, Bolan, Chaman, and Quetta, also reported casualties and damage, according to reports.

The country has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, from the 2005 northern quake that killed 73,000 to the devastating 1935 earthquake in Quetta, which claimed around 30,000 lives, Geo News reported. Balochistan province largely sits along a seismic hotspot, where the Indian plate pushes against the Eurasian plate. Balochistan, the country's largest province, remains sparsely populated, making rescue and relief operations especially difficult.

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