- Epicenter located at Sonmiani, 87 km from Karachi: NSMC.
- Balochistan tremors felt in Hub, Vinder, Gadani.
- Earthquake with a magnitude of 3.2 rattles Sibi town earlier today.
A moderate earthquake measuring 5.2 struck parts of Karachi and Balochistan late on Monday night, causing panic among citizens.
The National Seismic Monitoring Center of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the epicenter of the earthquake was in Balochistan’s Sonmiani, at a depth of 12 kilometers and was centered about 87 kilometers from Karachi.
Sonmiani is a coastal village in southeastern Balochistan.
In Balochistan, the tremors could be felt in Hub, Vinder and Gadani.
Earlier today, an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale rattled Balochistan’s Sibi city and surrounding areas, with its epicenter 53 kilometers away from the city, with no casualties or damage reported.
On December 3, mild tremors shook its Khuzdar and Sibi districts.
Khuzdar experienced a magnitude 3.3 earthquake at a depth of 15 km, with its epicenter 80 km southwest of the city, while Sibi felt 4.0 tremors at a depth of 10 km, centered about 50 km southwest of Sibi.
The November 26 Sibi earthquake had a magnitude of 3.1, while its depth was recorded at about ten kilometers. The NSMC reported that the epicenter was located about 60 kilometers northeast of Sibi.
The tremors did not last long and caused no damage.
Parts of the province also faced minor tremors earlier in November.
On November 8, the seismic center of the PMD, which shook Ziarat and surrounding areas, registered a magnitude of 5.0.
The earthquake’s epicenter was located 67 kilometers northeast of Quetta.
The last major earthquake to hit Ziarat struck in 2008, claiming more than 200 lives and leaving around 500 injured.
Entire villages were flattened and hundreds of homes and government buildings were reduced to ruins, forcing over 15,000 people from their homes.
The worst affected areas were the small settlements of Ziarat, where around 170 people died, most of them women and children.
While other districts including Pishin, Bolan, Chaman and Quetta also reported loss and damage, according to reports.
The country has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, from the 2005 northern earthquake that killed 73,000 to the devastating 1935 Quetta earthquake that killed around 30,000 people.
Balochistan province lies largely along a seismic hotspot where the Indian plate pushes against the Eurasian plate.
Balochistan, the country’s largest province, remains sparsely populated, making rescue and relief operations particularly difficult.
