3.3-magnitude earthquake jolts Khuzdar

KHUZDAR: A 3.3-magnitude earthquake struck Khuzdar district in Balochistan on Saturday, the National Seismic Monitoring Centre said, adding that the tremor occurred at a depth of eight kilometres.

According to the NSMC, the epicentre of the earthquake was located about 70 kilometres west of Khuzdar. Relevant authorities said they were closely monitoring the situation but had not received any reports of damage or casualties from the affected areas.

Earlier this month, mild tremors were also felt in Khuzdar and Sibi districts. On December 3, Khuzdar experienced a 3.3-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 15 kilometres, with its epicentre about 80 kilometres southwest of the city. On the same day, Sibi felt a 4.0-magnitude quake at a depth of 10 kilometres, centred around 50 kilometres southwest of the district.

Another mild earthquake was recorded in Sibi on November 26, measuring 3.1 in magnitude at a depth of around 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located roughly 60 kilometres northeast of the city. No damage was reported in any of these incidents.

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Parts of Balochistan also experienced tremors earlier in November. On November 8, an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale struck Ziarat and surrounding areas. The epicentre was located about 67 kilometres northeast of Quetta.

Ziarat was previously hit by a devastating earthquake in 2008, which claimed more than 200 lives, injured around 500 people and displaced over 15,000 residents. Entire villages were flattened, with women and children among the majority of those killed.

Pakistan remains vulnerable to earthquakes due to its location along major seismic fault lines, particularly in Balochistan, where the Indian tectonic plate pushes against the Eurasian plate. The province’s vast and sparsely populated terrain often makes rescue and relief operations challenging.