Expert warns of aftershocks in Pakistan
The powerful earthquake that jolted southwest Pakistan could be followed by aftershocks during the next few days, an expert has warned.
The 7.2-magnitude temblor, which had its epicentre near Dalbandin in Balochistan province, damaged about 200 houses on Wednesday though there were no reports of casualties. The quake was felt in places as far apart as New Delhi and Dubai.
Chief Meteorologist Mohammad Riaz warned that there could be aftershocks during the current week as there are active seismic fault lines in Balochistan. He said it was surprising that only one aftershock measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale had been reported an hour after the quake.
Following the 2008 quake in Quetta and the 2005 quake in the Kashmir region, over 100 aftershocks were registered within a day, he said. Fortunately, the same trend had not been repeated following Wednesday’s quake, he added.
"But after such a strong earthquake, the possibility (of aftershocks) is always there," Riaz said.
Wednesday 's quake was felt in cities across Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces. Severe jolts were felt in cities like Karachi, Bahawalpur, Thatta, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Lahore, Sargodha, and Dera Ghazi Khan.
Quakes of 7.0 to 7.9 are classified by geological authorities as major and are capable of causing widespread and heavy damage. On October 8, 2005, a 7.6-magnitude quake 95 km northeast of Islamabad killed over 70,000 people.
Pakistan is still recovering from the impact of devastating floods that swept vast areas of the country last year and officials said another natural disaster could severely stretch resources.
(indian express)
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