Powerful new earthquake hits shattered Pakistan region

AWARAN - A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan Saturday, in a region already devastated by a tremor which left more than 300 people dead and 100,000 homeless less than a week ago.

The new quake struck the remote district of Awaran, at a depth of 14 kilometres at 12:34 pm (0734 GMT) according to the US Geological Survey.

"It was not an aftershock, it was an independent earthquake," Zahid Rafi, director of the National Seismic Centre of Pakistan, told Geo TV.

Awaran, the poorest district in the southwest province of Baluchistan, was shattered by a 7.7-magnitude quake on Tuesday which left 359 dead and more than 100,000 people homeless.

Relief efforts there have been thwarted by insurgent attacks on rescue convoys, with local officials admitting that teams have been unable to reach thousands of survivors in the worst-hit areas.

An AFP reporter in Awaran said Saturday that hundreds of patients being treated in the aftermath of the previous quake fled a hospital in panic as the new tremor hit.

Pakistan's chief meteorologist Arif Mehmood told Express News that the magnitude of Saturday's quake measured 7.2.

Deputy Commissioner of Awaran, Abdul Rasheed Baloch told Geo TV that quake destroyed hundreds of mud houses in the Mashkey area, saying that "a lot of people have been trapped under the rubble".

"The telephone system has been damaged and we are not able to talk to someone and find out the exact information about the losses... But we have reports of severe losses in that area," Baloch said.

Rescue efforts in Mashkey, where the epicentre of the first quake was located, had already been complicated by insurgent groups in the area who have launched attacks on relief convoys, with local officials saying some 30,000 survivors are still waiting for aid.

The area is a stronghold of Baluch separatist rebels waging a decade-long insurgency against the Pakistani state.

The situation has forced officials to abandon efforts to reach survivors directly, saying instead they will work through village committees and private NGOs.

Abdul Malik, provincial chief minister of Baluchistan, told AFP that food and other rescue items would be distributed through local villagers.

He appealed to the local separatist groups to allow rescue officials to reach the survivors.

"It is a humanitarian tragedy and I appeal them to allow rescue workers to help the survivors," Malik told AFP late Friday.

Manan Baloch, a leader of the Baluchistan National Movement, allied to the Baluchistan Liberation Front, told AFP that his group will only allow private NGOs and local officials to help survivors.

"We will not allow army or FC (paramilitary Frontier Corps) here, only NGOs or local officials are allowed to come here," he said.

A Pakistan army officer in Awaran told AFP the military only wanted to help locals.

"They are not ready to accept us," he said on condition of anonymity.

An AFP reporter in Awaran on Saturday said aid workers along with trucks loaded with food, clothes and, medicine were seen moving towards Mashkey.

On Thursday, a helicopter carrying the head of the NDMA came under rocket fire by insurgents while flying in Awaran district. No-one was hurt and no damage was done.

On Friday, insurgents opened fire on another helicopter and, in two separate incidents, fired on rescue convoys, officials said, adding that no one was hurt in the attacks.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Strong quake near Iran nuclear plant kills 3

 A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday near the Gulf port city of Bushehr, home to Iran's only nuclear power plant, killing at least three people, state television and officials said.

Shocks from the quake were felt across the Gulf in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, provoking panic in some office towers, witnesses reported.

The epicentre was in the Kaki area, nearly 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of Bushehr, seismologists said.

There was no immediate word on any damage to the nuclear plant from the quake, which struck at 4:22 pm (1152 GMT) at a depth of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles), the Iran Seismological Centre said.

The US Geological Survey, which monitors quakes worldwide, ranked the quake at a more powerful 6.3 magnitude.

Iranian media said search and rescue teams had been dispatched to the area. Telephone connections were cut.

The seismological centre reported six aftershocks, the strongest at 5.3 magnitude.

Speaking to the ISNA news agency, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue corps, Mahmoud Mozafar, said there was a possibility of "damage," considering the rural nature of the stricken area, home to some 12,000 inhabitants.

He did not elaborate.

Iran sits astride several major fault lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes, some of which have been devastating.

Twin quakes, one measuring 6.2 and the other 6.0, struck northwestern Iran in August last year, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000.

In December 2010, a large quake struck the southern city of Bam. It killed 31,000 people -- about a quarter of the city's population -- and destroyed its ancient mud-built citadel.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Earthquake shakes Afghanistan, Pakistan

KABUL, Afghanistan - Buildings shook in the Afghan capital Kabul Thursday as an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 struck in the northern Hindu Kush region, according to a preliminary report by the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the remote region, but two slightly smaller quakes last month triggered landslides that killed at least 75 villagers.

In Kabul Thursday, office workers felt their chairs shake briefly and desk lamps swayed as the tremor hit.

The quake struck some 72 kilometers (45 miles) south south east of Faizabad, capital of Badakhshan province, and 121 kms (75 miles) northwest of Chitral in Pakistan at a depth of 190 kms, the USGS said.

Tremors were also felt in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, central Punjab and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where people came out of their homes and offices but there were no reports of damage or casualties, an official said.

Northern Afghanistan and Pakistan are frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush, which lies near the collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan in October 2005 killed 74,000 people and displaced 3.5 million.

source: interaksyon.com

Magnitude-7 quake strikes off Papua New Guinea but no tsunami alert raised

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck off the north coast of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported.

The quake struck at a depth of 125.5 miles (202 kilometers) and was centered 137 kilometers north of Lae, Papua New Guinea's second-largest city,

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was expected.

Papua New Guinea is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and suffers many earthquakes but often avoids major damage and casualties because most of its people live in light and flexible housing.

However, more than 2,000 people were killed in 1998 when a magnitude-7 quake struck off Papua New Guinea's north coast, causing a tsunami that smashed into isolated villages.

source: interaksyon.com

Moderate 5.7 quake rattles Mexico: USGS

WASHINGTON -- A moderate 5.7-magnitude earthquake rattled Mexico on Friday, the latest in a series of temblors to hit the country in recent weeks, according to the US Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the wake of the quake which struck Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, on the Pacific coast, some 200 kilometers (130 miles) southeast of the beach resort of Acapulco.

Two more powerful quakes struck within 10 minutes of each other on Thursday in the Gulf of California, further north, without causing casualties or major damage.

source: interaksyon.com

Rare earthquake felt in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - A rare earthquake rattled Hong Kong early Thursday, prompting concerned local residents to call the authorities, the Hong Kong Observatory said.

There were no reports of damage from the quake which had a magnitude of 4.2, according to the US Geological Survey, adding that it struck at a relatively shallow depth of 19 kilometers (11.5 miles) at 02:34 (1834 GMT).

It hit the Chinese province of Guangdong, some 119 kilometers northeast of Dongguan -- a factory hub -- which is around 100 kilometers from Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Observatory measured the quake at 4.5 magnitude and said it was felt by residents in the glitzy financial hub.

source: interaksyon.com

Magnitude 6.9 quake hits in Pacific near Solomon Islands

WELLINGTON (AP) - A powerful earthquake has struck underwater off the Solomon Islands. There is no immediate word of damage and no tsunami alert has been issued.

The US Geological Survey
says today's quake had a magnitude of 6.9. It was centered 55 kilometers west-southwest of San Christobal in the Solomon Islands at a depth of 35 kilometers under the ocean's floor.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says it expects no major tsunami threat from the quake.

The Solomon Islands is a country of nearly 1,000 islands that lie on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.

SOURCE (Philstar.com)