7.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Pakistan
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.2 shook southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, jolting residents of cities as far apart as New Delhi and Dubai, but doing little damage in the sparsely populated region.
The quake was more than 80 km (50 miles) underground, close to the town of Dalbandin in Baluchistan province, near the Afghan and Iranian frontiers, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Akbar Durrani, interior secretary of Baluchistan province, said there were no reports of casualties.
“There has been partial damage to house in villages near Dalbandin but there were no casualties,” he told Reuters.
Pakistan: 5 years after the Earthquake
On October 8, 2005 history of Pakistan turned a new page when northern part of the country was hit by massive earthquake. Parts of Azad Kashmir, Khyber PakhtunKhwa (NWFP) and Punjab were severely affected by the tremors and aftershocks that continued for months.After 5 years, earthquake affected population of Pakistan is still waiting for rehabilitation. The government, as usual, stopped short of its commitments, leaving its people without homes and basic necessities of life.
Seismo Tectonic Investigations of Gogai – Ziarat Earthquake in Balochistan
Seismo Tectonic Investigations of Gogai – Ziarat Earthquake, Balochistan of October 29, 2008The earth scientists have been warning about recurrence of a major earthquake in Quetta region after every 70-80 years and a moderate one in 10-15 years and should be taken seriously by all the stake holders. The GSP Museum of Earth Sciences Quetta has been running a campaign for earthquake preparedness from the past 3 years to pre-empt the clear and present danger. We believe that hazard is natural but disaster is not. Disaster management and seismic trainings have to be imparted to all the stake holders at every levels, including senior administrators such as the governor, chief minister, chief justice and members of legislative assemblies, and farmers, engineers, builders, architects, doctors, sociologists, psychologists, the common people, as well as in educational institutions, etc. The Finishing School students of Women’s University Brewery Quetta are actively collaborating with GSP Museum in delivering lectures, presentations and evacuation drills in educational institutions of the provincial metropolis.
USAID Sends Additional Earthquake Assistance and Team of Experts to Pakistan
The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $1.5 million in emergency assistance in the aftermath of last week’s earthquake in Balochistan province in Pakistan. This brings the total USAID emergency assistance package to $2.5 million to date.USAID committed $1 million of the $2.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ICRC is providing emergency assistance, including emergency health care, shelter, relief commodities, and water and sanitation interventions, for earthquake-affected populations.
Through its international and non-governmental partners, USAID is distributing much needed relief commodities in Balochistan province. On November 3, the first trucks transporting USAID-funded plastic sheeting for the construction of temporary shelters arrived in Quetta. This plastic sheeting will be distributed to affected villages in Ziarat District, and additional USAID-funded plastic sheeting will be distributed over the next three days.
Red Cross in funding plea for Pakistan earthquake
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday appealed for 7.8 million dollars in emergency funding to help victims of the powerful earthquake that rocked southwest Pakistan this week.The ICRC said that the money would be used to step up the relief effort being carried out by its teams and those from the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.
Up to 300 people were killed and tens of thousands more left homeless when a 6.4-magnitude quake struck before dawn in mountainous Baluchistan province on Wednesday, flattening mud-brick houses as people slept.
Pakistan earthquake affects 108,000 people, half of whom are children
UNICEF is providing immediate lifesaving assistance to children and women affected by the earthquake that struck the southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistan, on October 29, killing approximately 200 and affecting some 108,000 people—50 percent of which are children. Almost 19,000 of the affected are under five-years-old. The numbers are likely to increase with aftershocks and as relief teams gain access to more remote areas. On October 30, the Chief Minister of Balochistan appealed for international assistance to be provided to the earthquake victims.Earthquake hits apple orchards, livelihoods
The sweeping valley of Ziarat district in southwest Pakistan, hit this week by a powerful earthquake, is famous for its ancient juniper forests and orchards filled with golden and green apples.But the 6.4-magnitude tremor that destroyed homes and killed up to 300 people also felled many trees, robbing local apple industry workers of their livelihoods at a time when the sought-after crop was nearly ripe for harvest.
“Our region is the largest apple producer in the country,” said Dilawal Kakar, the mayor of Ziarat town, where Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had a retreat and which remains a haven for summer tourists and pilgrims.
Islamic charity to build temporary homes in Pakistan
An Islamic charity accused of terrorist links by the United States has pledged to build 1,000 temporary homes for survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, a move likely to expand the group’s influence in the impoverished region.Authorities said Friday that the death toll would likely top 300 from the 6.4-magnitude quake that hit the mountainous area early on Wednesday, destroying 3,000 houses
and leaving some 15,000 people homeless.
The affected area of Baluchistan province is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns, the same ethnic group from which the Taliban draws most of its strength. The region has not seen the level of militant activity common in other districts along the Afghan border.
