5-magnitude earthquake shakes Balochistan’s Ziarat, surrounding areas

• No immediate damage or casualties reported from any part of Ziarat.
• Ziarat’s last major quake in 2008 killed over 200, injured around 500.
• Province’s seismic hotspot, sparse population hinder rescue efforts.

Earthquake tremors shook Ziarat and surrounding areas early Saturday, registering a magnitude of 5.0, the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) reported.

The quake’s epicentre was pinpointed 67 kilometres northeast of Quetta. No immediate reports of damage or casualties have emerged.

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif early on 3 November, killing at least seven people and injuring about 150, just months after a quake and strong aftershocks killed more than 2,200 people at the end of August. 

Footage released by the Afghan Ministry of Defence showed military rescue teams digging through rubble and pulling the body of a young girl from the dirt. 

Reuters was not able to independently verify the location and date of the images.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said in a post on social media platform X it was on the ground supporting rescue efforts.

The last major earthquake to hit Ziarat struck in 2008, claiming more than 200 lives and leaving around 500 injured. 

Entire villages were flattened, and hundreds of homes and government buildings were reduced to rubble, forcing over 15,000 people from their houses. 

The worst-hit areas were the small settlements of Ziarat, where roughly 170 people died, most of them women and children. 

Tremors and aftershocks continued into the night without any let-up, scaring thousands to flee their shelters and seek safety outdoors. 

While other districts, including Pishin, Bolan, Chaman, and Quetta, also reported casualties and damage, according to reports.

The country has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, from the 2005 northern quake that killed 73,000 to the devastating 1935 earthquake in Quetta, which claimed around 30,000 lives.

Balochistan province largely sits along a seismic hotspot, where the Indian plate pushes against the Eurasian plate. 

Balochistan, the country’s largest province, remains sparsely populated, making rescue and relief operations especially difficult.