Islamabad, October 17: An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake occurred near Khuzdar town, with its epicentre located approximately 48 kilometres west-northwest of the town, the USGS said in a post on X.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage following the tremors.
Balochistan has experienced seismic activity in the past. In February, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the province at a depth of 13 kilometres, with its epicentre around 86 kilometres northeast of Khuzdar.
The earlier earthquake was felt in Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts of Balochistan, as well as several districts of neighbouring Sindh province, including Sukkur, Qambar, Shahdadkot and Dadu.
Pakistan is prone to earthquakes because it lies at the intersection of three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Eurasian and Indian plates. The movement and interaction of these plates make several parts of the country vulnerable to seismic activity.
One of the deadliest earthquakes in Pakistan’s history struck in 2005, claiming more than 74,000 lives.
