Pakistan earthquake: Major 7.2 quake near Afghanistan felt in Dubai, New Delhi

In southwestern Pakistan, a very shallow earthquake has hit the Baluchistan province. The Pakistan earthquake 2011 was reported as magnitude 7.4 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Several provinces in and around the earthquake felt the rumble, including border regions of Iran and Afghanistan.

7.4 magnitude Pakistan earthquake 2011

At 1:23 a.m. local time, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit 34 miles west of Dalbandin, Pakistan. This region is on the border of Pakistan, next to Iran and Afghanistan. The earthquake epicenter itself is in the desert and was measured as only 6.3 miles deep — very shallow for a major earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Center did register the earthquake but did not indicate that a tsunami had been started by the quake.

Major damage possible from Pakistan earthquake

Initial reports of damage and injuries from the Pakistan earthquake have not yet been received. On Oct. 8, 2005, a 7.6 earthquake in northwestern Pakistan left 3 million without homes. Also, 80,000 people were killed by that 2005 Pakistan earthquake. However, the border region of Pakistan hit by today’s 7.4 earthquake is very lightly populated and very seismically active. The Baluchistan province of Pakistan is considered a “conflict zone,” as the border it shares with Afghanistan is not very well-secured and is in a very difficult-to-survive area of the desert.

A difficult time for Pakistan

The Pakistan earthquake comes at a very difficult time for the country. Currently, Pakistan is dealing with the aftermath of the 2010 monsoon season, which put one-fifth of the country under water. The Pakistani military also spends a significant amount of time in the region hit by the Pakistan earthquake, trying to control the conflict and border troubles with militants from Iran and Afghanistan. The damage from the 7.4 earthquake this morning is likely to be severe, and the country has incredibly limited resources for handling the aftermath of the Pakistan earthquake.

Sources

BBC News
CNN News

Today on 19th January 2011 earthquake was recorded in Asian countries (India, Pakistan and Dubai). This earthquake lasted for 12-15 seconds in Delhi and it was a major one.

According to Earthquake.gov, In Pakistan this earth quake was recorded as 7.4 magnitude.

As always twitter was first major source of news about this earthquake and till now no damage has been reported. It’s good to see that people are actively using twitter and facebook for sharing such major updates and we hope everyone is fine.