A 4.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the Kalat area of Balochistan on Wednesday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said.
According to the PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake struck at 5:37 pm 15 kilometers southeast of Kalat at a depth of 34km. It had a longitude of 66.71 East and a latitude of 28.92 North.Tremors were felt in Kalat and neighbouring areas. No casualties or infrastructure damage has been reported yet.
The quake occurred at a time when Balochistan is reeling from floods caused by torrential monsoon rains. Catastrophic floods have left a third of Pakistan submerged as thousands of roads, houses, electric towers and bridges have been completely damaged.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 15 people died in the province in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll in the province to 253.
Overall, more than 33 million people have been affected by the floods caused by record-breaking torrential rains.
The millions of people affected by the floods face major health hazards including potentially deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, the WHO warned in a statement Tuesday.
Sindh and Balochistan provinces have been hit particularly hard, with vast swathes of land under water and many villagers forced to head to large cities for shelter, food aid, and medical assistance. On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced a flash appeal for $160 million to support the Pakistan government's flood relief efforts.
Speaking at an event hosted by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), he said “these funds will provide 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation, emergency education, protection, and health support.”
The rains that began in June have unleashed the worst flooding in more than a decade, washing away swathes of vital crops and damaging or destroying more than a million homes.
Authorities and charities are struggling to accelerate aid delivery to more than 33 million people affected, a challenging task in areas cut off because roads and bridges have been washed away.
