Multiple fatalities after a strong earthquake in southwest Pakistan

[MenInG]

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A powerful earthquake early Thursday shook a remote mountainous part of southwestern Pakistan dotted with coal mines and mud houses, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 200, an official said.

The death toll was expected to rise as officials search through the remote mountainous area, said Suhail Anwar Shaheen, the deputy commissioner of the area.

At least four of the dead were killed when the coal mine in which they were working collapsed, said Shaheen, citing reports from coal miners in the area.

The epicenter of the 5.7 magnitude quake was about 14 kilometers (8 miles) north-northeast of Harnai in Baluchistan province, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck about 20 kilometers (12 miles) below the surface.

The area, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Quetta, the provincial capital, is dotted with coal mines, which has Shaheen worried the death toll could rise. It struck in the early morning while scores of miners were already at work, he said.

Most of the population in the area live in sun-baked mud houses, many of which collapsed. Rescue efforts were underway, but Shaheen said it would take hours just to reach many of the hardest-hit areas.

https://apnews.com/article/science-pakistan-earthquakes-bd2be7e2982a44a0f02ecb4f12e9d0e3

 

[JaDed]

Unfortunate, RIP

 

[sweep_shot]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun.

 

[Giannis]

A lot of seismic activity in that area, the mudhuts gotta go

 

[MenInG]

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck parts of Balochistan early on Thursday morning, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), most of the deaths and injuries were reported from the remote north-eastern district of Harnai.

The National Seismic Monitoring Centre in Islamabad reported that the epicentre of the earthquake was near Harnai at a depth of around 15 kilometres.

The PDMA added that rescue and FC teams are taking part in the rescue operation and were dispatched from Quetta, Pishin and Ziarat to Harnai. A shortage of ambulances and medicines has been reported.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2323659/at-least-20-killed-as-magnitude-59-earthquake-jolts-balochistan

 

[gani999]

RIP. Hope the death toll doesn't increase.

A lot of seismic activity in that area, the mudhuts gotta go

Actually, soft material like mud and wood are ideal for an earthquake zone.
The people are unlikely to die if their mud walls fall on them, and rescuing them is also easier.

In the early 1990s, we had a major earthquake in western India with a huge loss of life. It turned out that the villagers had built homes with heavy materials like granite and concrete, and got crushed when the earthquake brought down their walls on them.

 

[OMB]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I have ordered immediate assistance on an emergency basis for the Harnai, Balochistan, earthquake victims & for an immediate assessment of the damage for timely relief & compensation. My condolences & prayers go to the families who lost their loved ones.</p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1445999017062699011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Bewal Express]

The poor of Balochistan going through even more tribulations. May Allah have mercy on them

 

[Firebat]

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck parts of Balochistan early on Thursday morning, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 300.

Heart-breaking damage toll, maximum aid should be afforded to them.

 

[MenInG]

“We only have football which is what brings life to us. We don’t want cars or a lot of money or anything much. Just a respectable enough way to play football and not worry about how our houses will be run and families will be fed,” Ajab Khan Khilji, the captain of Ahwad Football Club (FC) in Shahrag, Harnai explains, as he relates how horrific the earthquake was that struck Harnai on Thursday at 3 am.

Ajab, 29, is adamant that the players all over Harnai District located in the northeast of Balochistan, not just in tehsil Shahrag where he works in a coal mine from morning to afternoon are in dire need of help. The earthquake has only exposed the extreme poverty among the people and especially among footballers as most of them come from very humble backgrounds.

Ajab, who is a striker and captain of his club Ahwad meaning homeland or “Watan”, describes how vulnerable the footballers and almost all the people with limited means in Harnai district are.

“The Earthquake has been devastating, the walls of our houses have fallen, there is so much destruction but we are thankful that at least among our footballers in the club or in Shahrag the damage is only of material things and no one died in the quake,” Ajab told The Express Tribune.

“We unfortunately see people die in many other ways, as we don’t have government hospitals that can even treat minor injuries of our players or if anyone gets shot in a dispute or if we get injured while working in the coal mine. This is because government hospital doctors don’t even want to work in this place.”

“The government hospitals are run by corrupt people so we have to either get the treatment privately or run to Quetta but by that time we lose the patient and even when the ambulance service comes to us, the injured person has passed away. So the well-being of our people is in danger, because there is no system in place.”

As footballers we only have the sport that we play after our coal-mining work at the Railways ground, where Ajab said that his club players ended up making the goal posts with pipes bought from Quetta.

“All we ask for is a transparent system to be put in place as there is no help from the government,” Ajab said adding that “all the players work in the mines and the club is run on donations from the people.”

“In Shahrag, we are all poor people, we love football because that is our passion and it helps us look forward to something that is outside of the mine. Working in the mines is not easy either and it is now comparatively even more dangerous to go into especially after the earthquake,” explained Ajab. “As a club, we run on donations, for example if we are competing in any tournament, then at least few days before the tournament, we go out in the market and ask for donations, so it all depends on that which helps us buy food and transportation.”

The last tournament Ahwad FC played was in Sibi less than a week ago, just few days before most of them lost their homes in the earthquake. The players of the club collect Rs50 every Friday after their match to have some amount saved for emergency treatment of any player should they get injured.

Ajab said that there is no support from the government or provincial sports bodies or the ministry. “We request the people and the government to change this. Without hospitals, schools, proper systems and unemployment, we are far behind. I request the government to help us, we have suffered in the mines, but our children shouldn’t.” pleaded Ajab, whose team had been topping in regional events for the last five years.

 

[MenInG]

QUETTA: The army and Frontier Corps (FC) troops with Provincial Disaster Management Authority and local administration officials completed rescue operations in the earthquake-hit areas of Harnai district and launched a massive relief operation on Friday, while the National Disaster Management Authority, Pakistan Army and Air Force sent relief goods for the quake-affected people.

Official sources said that death toll had risen to 21 as one injured has succumbed to his wounds. Human and property losses took place in around 20km radius area of Harnai district while mostly mud houses and other buildings collapsed and were damaged.

“A 70-year-old man, who was seriously injured in a house collapse in Harani and was shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Quetta, by an army helicopter, has lost his life,” said the deputy commissioner of Harnai.

He said the rescue operation had almost concluded, but rescue teams were still visiting villages in far-flung areas of Harnai.

Thousands of people rendered homeless waiting for relief items under the open sky

Corps Commander of Balochistan Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali visited the earthquake-hit areas to oversee troops taking part in rescue and relief operations. The army’s urban search and rescue team took part in speedy rescue and relief efforts in Harnai.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, medical care was being provided to the injured by the army and FC doctors and paramedics, while all critically injured had been evacuated to CMH, Quetta, through army aviation helicopters. A large number of injured were also evacuated by road.

As many as 300 relief packages containing tents, blankets and food items have been provided to the affected population.

Officials of Pakistan Air Force also distributed food items, tents and other relief goods among the quake-stricken people in and around Harnai town.

Prime minister’s special assistant and chairperson of Ehsaas Programme Dr Sania Nishtar visited Civil Hospital and CMH in Quetta, inquired about the health of injured people and distributed cheques among them.

Governor of Balochistan Syed Zahoor Agha, Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana and local leaders of the PTI were also present on the occasion.

However, thousands of people, who have been rendered homeless, are facing hardships as they have no option other than living under the open sky while waiting for tents, blankets and food.

“Thousands of quake-stricken people, including women, children and elderly people, spent the night under the open sky without tents and proper beds,” Abdullah Khan, a resident of Harnai, told Dawn over telephone. His house was also destroyed in the quake.

“We need a huge quantity of relief goods for people who have been rendered homeless,” Khan said, adding that relief goods that had so for reached Harnai were not enough to cater to the needs of the affected people.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has directed the authorities to intensify the relief work.

The injured people are being brought to Quetta. As many as 33 injured were brought to the Trauma Centre of whom 21 were admitted to Civil Sandman Hospital for further treatment.

Parliamentary secretary for health Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi said that tents had been provided to the attendants of the injured people at hospital.

“Proper arrangements for provision of food and water have been made. Last night, 45 to 50 people were provided accommodation in tents,” she said.

The provincial coordinator of the First Aid Department of Pakistan Red Crescent, Mr Nadeem, said: “More than 50 of our teams are working in Harnai.”

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2021