7.2 Earthquake Hits Southwest Pakistan (NTD Television)
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Southwestern Pakistan near the South Asian country’s border with Afghanistan at 1:23 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Jan. 19 (3:23 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 18), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The earthquake, which was at a depth of 52.2 miles, hit 30 miles west of Dalbandin.
Within an hour of the earthquake, 146 people reported to the USGS that they had felt the earthquake. Tremors from the massive quake were felt as far as the Arabian Peninsula and India, 600 to 800 miles away.
In the United Arab Emirates, the shaking ground startled locals, “sending waves of panic among people who rushed out of their homes,” Gulf News reported. Indian media NDTV noted that residents of the Northern Indian states of Haryana and Rajasthan also felt the earthquake.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, deaths, or damage.
An earthquake of such magnitude can cause extensive and heavy damage. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit 60 miles northeast of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on October 8, 2005, killed 86,000, according to the USGS. The last major earthquake in the country was a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on October 28, 2008, which killed 166.
