At least 23 killed as quake hits Pakistan
A POWERFUL earthquake has collapsed at least one coal mine and dozens of mud houses in southwest Pakistan, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 200, an official said.
The death toll is expected to rise as crews search the remote mountainous area, said Suhail Anwar Shaheen, the local deputy commissioner.
At least four were killed when the coal mine in which they were working collapsed, said Mr Shaheen, citing miners in the area.
As many as 100 homes also collapsed, burying sleeping residents.
The epicentre of the 5.9 magnitude quake was about nine miles from Harnai in Baluchistan province, according to the US Geological Survey. The initial guide of the quake’s strength was 5.7 magnitude.
The area, about 60 miles from Quetta, the provincial capital, is dotted with coal mines, and the tremor struck in the early morning while scores of miners were at work.
Pakistan’s military was deployed to airlift dozens of injured people from mountain peaks and search and rescue teams are in the area.
At least nine critically injured people were taken to Quetta.
Concern has grown about scores of miners who might be trapped. Homes lay in heaps of mud and straw, with residents wandering among the rubble.