Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Kills At Least 15 People & Injures Hundreds in Pakistan, Officials Reveal

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake rattled areas of southern Pakistan early Thursday morning, some 102 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta. The event likely felt stronger than its magnitude, as it was registered as a shallow earthquake, some 10 kilometers from the surface.

Pakistani disaster officials announced later on Thursday that at least 15 people were killed in connection with the early morning quake, which damaged and destroyed several homes near Harnai, Pakistan.

"15 to 20 people have been killed so far. The death toll may increase," the head of Balochistan's Provincial Disaster Management Authority told AFP reporters.

Local media reports have indicated that more than 300 people have sustained injuries as a result of the quake.

A witness based in Quetta testified to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre that she was awoken by the tremors early that morning, despite being more than 100 kilometers from the epicenter.

A regional official told Urdu language outlet HUM News that several people were thought to be buried under collapsed buildings around Harnai and the town of Shahrag. Additionally, multiple government buildings have sustained damage, according to the official.

Power outages were also registered in the vicinity of the shallow earthquake.

Pakistan lies along the border between the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plate, the latter of which has been moving to the north for some 100 million years, colliding with the Eurasian plate often causes powerful earthquakes in the region.