Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Major quake kills 39 in Pakistan
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- A major earthquake struck a remote area in southwestern Pakistan today, killing at least 39 people as houses collapsed and possibly pushing up the earth to create a new island off the country’s southern coast.
The Pakistani military said it was rushing troops and helicopters to Baluchistan province’s Awaran district, where the quake was centered, as well as the nearby area of Khuzdar. Local officials said they were sending food and tents for people who had nowhere to sleep as strong aftershocks continued to rock the area.
Most people were killed when their houses collapsed before they could rush outside, according to the chief spokesman for the country’s National Disaster Management Authority, Mirza Kamran Zia, who gave the casualty toll. He warned that the death toll might rise and said they were still trying to get information from officials in the district.