28/09/2013 15:08
6.8 tremor hits Pakistan's Balochistan
A 6.8-magnitude tremor has struck one of the most populated regions in Pakistan, the US Geological Survey reports, according to RT.
It follows a deadly earthquake in Balochistan on Tuesday that left over 500 killed.
The new tremor struck 96 kilometers (59 miles) northeast of the Awaran district at 0734 GMT, at a depth of 14 kilometers.
The local meteorological office recorded the intensity of the earthquake at 7.2 on the Richter scale and said the epicenter of the quake was 150 kilometers southwest of the town of Khuzdar, which is home to over 500,000 people.
"It was not an aftershock, it was an independent earthquake," Zahid Rafi, director of the National Seismic Center of Pakistan, told Geo TV.
However, Pakistan’s chief meteorologist, Arif Mahmood, told a local TV station that the tremor was an aftershock from Tuesday’s earthquake and could be followed by further tremors for weeks to come.
Tremors have been felt as far away as the Indian capital, New Delhi, NDTV reports.
No new casualties or damage have been reported so far.
Over 300,000 people were affected by Tuesday’s 7.7 magnitude quake, as over 20,000 houses in the region were destroyed.