Islamabad: Over 170 people were killed and hundreds injured when a strong earthquake shook Pakistan s impoverished southwestern Balochistan early today, destroying hundreds of mud houses that left 15,000 homeless.

At least eight villages in Ziarat and Pishin areas of Balochistan province were almost razed to rubble by the quake, according to first rescue workers who reached there.

Two tremors hit parts of Balochistan, the country's most backward province, before dawn when people were asleep. The devastation was caused by the second quake which had a magnitude of 6.5.

TV channels beamed footage of mud brick houses that were devastated and of people sleeping on the roads in Quetta and other towns and cities despite the freezing cold.

The second quake, which had its epicentre 60 km northeast of Balochistan s capital Quetta, struck at 5.10 am. The first quake, which hit at 4.33 am, had a magnitude of 5.

People rushed out of their homes in panic. In Quetta, local residents fired shots in the area and mosques used their public address systems to wake people who were sleeping.

Ziarat and Pishin districts, located close to the epicentre, were hit hardest by the quake and up to 1,500 houses were damaged or destroyed. Eight villages in Ziarat district were completely destroyed.

Local officials put the death toll at about 170 and said they feared the toll could rise as many people were believed to be buried under the rubble of mud brick houses that had collapsed. The remoteness of Ziarat and cold weather hampered relief efforts and rescue workers reached some of the affected areas about five to six hours after the quake.

Source : PTI