Death toll in Balochistan earthquake jumps to 531

The Frontier Post

The death toll in Tuesday s powerful earthquake in Balochistan has reached 531 today (Thursday). Rescue workers pulled victims, some screaming in pain, from the heavy rubble of mud houses collapsed on residents throughought the remote areas of Balochistan. Pakistan s army airlifted hundreds of soldiers to help with the aftermath of the worst earthquake. The earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck Balochistan on Tuesday, a huge earthquake-prone province of deserts and rugged mountains, and was felt across South Asia. It destroyed houses and cut communications with the worst affected district of Awaran, and was so powerful it caused a small island to emerge from the Arabian Sea, just off the Pakistani coast. Rescue teams found it hard to reach the remote location quickly, and some officials said the death toll was likely to rise as emergency workers fanned further into the mountains to assess the damage.