Earthquake kills 30 in Pakistan

A powerful  earthquake    hit a remote, part of western Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 30 people and destroying scores of mud houses.

Officials said tremors were felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi and the sprawling port city of Karachi in Pakistan.

The US  Geological Survey said the 7.8-magnitude quake struck the Southeast of Dalbandin in Pakistan's province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran.

The Deputy Speaker of the Baluchistan Assembly, Abdul Qadoos, told Reuters that 30 people had been killed and at least 30 per cent of houses in the impoverished Awaran District had caved in.

In the Baluch regional capital of Quetta, officials said some areas appeared to be badly damaged but it was hard to assess the impact quickly because the locations were remote.

Earlier, the Baluch Chief Secretary, Babar Yaqoob, said 25 people had been injured and that the death toll might increase.

A rescue operation had begun in the desert and mountain region which has no major industrial installations.

"We are trying to assess the damage,'' said the Baluch Home Secretary, Asad Gilani.

Meanwhile, a local television reported that helicopters had started conveying relief supplies to the affected area, as the army said it had deployed 200 troops to help deal with the disaster.


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