A strong earthquake shook a remote area in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, leaving more than 39 people dead, houses crumbled to the ground, and the possibility of the creation of a new island off the coast of the country.
According to the Associated Press, the Pakistani military sent troops and rescue workers in helicopters to the center of the quake in Bluchistan province's Awaran district, in addition to the nearby town of Khuzdar. Food and tents for people who had lost their homes were also sent over, amid sharp aftershocks that didn't stop striking the area for hours.
Spokesperson for Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority Mirza Kamran Zia said that most of the deceased were killed in their homes, after the walls and roofs collapsed before residents could make a break for the outside.
"We all ran out for safety in the open field of our house. Many other neighbors were also there," Khair Mohammed Baluch, who lives about 30 miles south of the center of the earthquake, told AP. "Thank God no one was hurt in our area but our walls of four or five houses collapsed."
The official magnitude of the quake is still being contested - chief meteorologist in Pakistan Mohammed Riaz said the earthquake topped out at 7.7, while a U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado offered 7.8 as a figure.
After witnesses told the Pakistan Meteorological Department they'd seen a small island that appeared following the earthquake, officials have opened an investigation into whether the strong quake had enough power to push the land up and form a new mass.
The earthquake was felt from New Delhi to Quetta, where cell phone vendor Matiullah Khan said he was in his store closing a sale when the shelves started shaking.
"I, along with customers, rushed out to the main street...Thousands of people were standing, many in fear and reciting Quranic verses," he reported.
