Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Strikes Pakistan in Baluchistan Province

A U.S. Geological Survey map showing the location of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit southern Pakistan on Wednesday, Jan. 19. (Courtesy of the USGS) A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwestern Pakistan near the South Asian country’s border with Afghanistan at 1:23 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 19 (3:23 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 18), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The earthquake, which was at a depth of 52.2 miles, hit 30 miles west of Dalbandin.
Within an hour of the earthquake, 146 people had reported to the USGS that they had felt the earthquake. Tremors from the massive quake were felt as far as the Arabian Peninsula and India, 600 to 800 miles away.
In the United Arab Emirates, the shaking ground startled locals, “sending waves of panic among people who rushed out of their homes,” Gulf News reported. Indian media NDTV noted that residents of the northern Indian states of Haryana and Rajasthan also felt the earthquake.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, deaths, or damage.
An earthquake of such magnitude can cause extensive and heavy damage. A magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit 60 miles northeast of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Oct. 8, 2005, killed 86,000, according to the USGS. The last major earthquake in the country was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Oct. 28, 2008, that killed 166.


Magnitude-7.4 earthquake hits Pakistan, damages houses
At least ten houses were damaged following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit southwestern Pakistan on early Wednesday morning, sources told Xinhua.

According to the sources, the houses damaged in the earthquake were in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan province. But details about the damage are not immediately available.

Sources in Karachi also informed Xinhua that a three-story building collapsed in the city during the earthquake. But details about the casualties are not known at the moment of this time.

Local media quoted meteorological officials as saying that the epicenter was located in the Kharan area of Balochistan province. Meteorological officials warned that there might be aftershocks following the earthquake.

The earthquake that took place at about 1:23 a.m. local time Wednesday (2023 GMT Tuesday) jolted most major cities in the southwestern and southern parts of the country, including Quetta, Karachi and Multan. Strong tremors were also felt in the country’s eastern city of Lahore.