A 5.7-magnitude earthquake has struck Pakistan early Thursday morning, killing at least 20 people and injuring hundreds of others. The quake destroyed dozens of mud houses in southwest Pakistan, while also collapsing at least one coal mine.
The United States Geological Survey said that the earthquake occurred at 3 a.m. local time at a depth of 6.2 miles. The epicenter of the earthquake was detected about 13 miles northeast of the city of Harnai, in Pakistan's Balochistan Province.
The epicenter of the latest quake is about 60 miles away from the provincial capital of Quetta, where a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in 1935, killing at least 60,000 people.
Government officials said that at least 300 people had been injured during the quake. Officials said they expect the numbers to rise when more reports come in. Search and rescue workers have been dispatched to remote mountainous areas.
Local reports said several government buildings were damaged and more than 100 flimsy mud houses had collapsed, buying sleeping residents inside. The deputy commissioner of Harnai, Suhail Anwar Shaheen, said thousands of families are now left homeless.
Most of the residents living near the epicenter of the quake reside in sun-baked mud houses, which cannot withstand earthquakes. Rescue workers are now attempting to dig survivors out but officials said it might take some time before workers can reach some of the most hard-hit areas.
Shaheen said at least four people have been confirmed dead after a coal mine had collapsed. He said rescue workers have also been dispatched to the area. Shaheen said the death toll because of collapsed mines could increase given that the area is dotted with coal mines and the quake struck while many miners were already at work.
Pakistan is no stranger to high seismic activity and several earthquakes have hit the country in recent years. In 2013, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit a remote area in western Pakistan, killing at least 80 people. In 2008, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern part of the country, killing at least 150 people.
One of the worst quakes in Pakistan's history was a 7.8-magnitude quake that struck the disputed Kashmir region in 2005. The quake also rattled parts of India and Afghanistan. The quake had killed an estimated 87,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, including schools and hospitals. The quake left an estimated 4 million people without homes.
