Islamabad: A moderate-intensity earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Sunday (June 29), leaving at least five people injured and damaging multiple houses. The tremors were reported around 3:54 am, with the epicentre near Barkan town, according to paramilitary Levies official Tauqeer Shah. Among the injured were a couple whose house roof collapsed in the Rara Shaim area, Shah said.
The earthquake was felt across several areas near Barkan, including Kingri, Rara Shaim, and Wastu, causing panic among residents. Initial assessments suggest a dozen homes were damaged, with cracks appearing in many structures. While some reports suggested the quake’s magnitude may have been 5.5, the US Geological Survey officially recorded it as 5.2, with the epicentre located about 60 kilometres from Barkan.
This incident underscores Pakistan’s vulnerability to earthquakes. In 2021, a quake in Harnai, also in Balochistan, killed 20 people and injured many more. The 2005 earthquake in northern Pakistan remains the deadliest, claiming over 73,000 lives and displacing millions. Just earlier this month, Karachi experienced a series of minor tremors ranging from 2.2 to 3.5 on the Richter scale, though no damage or casualties were reported.
Experts attribute the frequent seismic activity in Pakistan to its location on three major tectonic plates- the Arabian, Eurasian, and Indian plates. The country is divided into five seismic zones, making it prone to both moderate and devastating earthquakes.
