Five quakes hit Balochistan in two days, more feared
The most damaging tremor struck on Friday afternoon, when a quake measuring 5.1 hit at 4:49 pm with its epicentre 60 kilometres northeast of Kohlu, at a depth of 17 kilometres. Tremors from that quake spread well beyond the epicentre, with shaking reported as far as Zhob, Barkhan, and Rakhni.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razaq Khajak reported that at least three people, including a child, were injured and around 70 houses were partially damaged in the Kingri area, with the injured moved to the hospital after being hurt in wall collapses. Rescue teams led by assistant commissioners were dispatched to the affected area.
A separate, wider damage assessment from neighbouring Musakhel district painted an even starker picture. According to Deputy Commissioner Abdul Raziq Khajak, more than 90 houses were damaged in the Rada Sham area's Chap locality, with several walls collapsing and over 20 people injured, including women and children.
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Friday's quake was not an isolated event, it was the third tremor to strike the area in a single day. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said the sequence began with a first quake recorded at 10:25 am, followed by a second at 10:58 am, before the stronger, damaging tremor hit at 4:49 pm.
A fresh quake measuring 4.3 in magnitude struck with its epicentre 40 kilometres north of Kohlu, at a shallower depth of 15 kilometres, the fourth tremor in the sequence. Hours later, a fifth and notably stronger quake followed, recorded by PMD at 8:06 am with a magnitude of 5.2 and a depth of 19 kilometres, its epicentre 58 kilometres northeast of Barkhan, with shaking felt in Kohlu, Barkhan, and Rakhni.
No casualties have so far been linked to Saturday's two tremors, though residents in the area, already shaken by Friday's destruction, described renewed panic as the ground moved again. Authorities say they are continuing to monitor the situation closely for further aftershocks.
The region has a long history of destructive seismic events, including the 2013 Awaran earthquake, and weak infrastructure, combined with remote terrain, has historically made emergency response in these areas slow and difficult.
With five tremors recorded in roughly 36 hours and an already-confirmed toll of more than 20 injured and well over 100 homes damaged, officials and residents alike are bracing for the possibility that this sequence is not yet finished.
