QUETTA: Three children were killed and five others, including women, were injured when a low-intensity earthquake jolted the areas along the Pak-Afghan border, destroying a house on the outskirts of Chaman on late Friday night.

Officials in the border town said the tremor that struck the hilly area at aro­und 10pm was also felt in Qila Abdullah, Gulis­tan, Pishin, and several other parts of the Chaman district.

“An earthquake of 3.6 magnitude struck the border district of Chaman at around 10pm, which jolted the town,” said Naveed Alam, assistant commissioner for Chaman, while talking to Dawn.

He said three children of a family were killed when the roof and walls of their house, situated in the by­pass area on the outsk­irts of the town, collapsed due to the impact of the ear­thquake. Another ho­u­se was also reportedly dest­royed in the neighbouring area. “The walls of some houses and buildings developed cracks,” he added.

However, no more loss of human life was reported from the areas where tremors were felt.

Soon after receiving information about the loss of life and property, the local administration rushed in along with Balochistan Levies and rescue workers. The bodies and the injured were recovered from under the debris and shifted to the district hospital, officials said.

“We have received three bodies of children, aged between eight and 12, and five injured, including two women,” hospital officials said. They said the seriously injured were referred to Quetta hospital for treatment.

Area people claimed that officials were not aware of the collapsed houses and other damages till late night and the hospital had informed the local administration about the losses.

The tremors were also felt in Qila Abdullah district and other areas, according to the report, but no human casualties or property damage were reported. The epicentre of the quake was located in the hilly area of Khawaja Imran, some 30km north-east of Chaman.

A spokesman for the chief minister, Babar Yousafzai, said immediate assistance was provided to the affected family.

Levies were alerted in the quake-hit areas, where residents were advised to exercise caution as mud houses were damaged due to recent rain.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2023