A moderate-to-strong 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan on Saturday morning (October 17, 2026) at approximately 10:06 AM local time, sending panic through central districts.
According to the Seismic Division of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and seismic tracking agencies, the earthquake's epicenter was located 48 kilometers northwest of Khuzdar district in Balochistan, at an ultra-shallow depth of just 10 kilometers below the Earth's surface. Due to the shallow focal depth, strong vibrations were felt across Khuzdar as well as neighboring Kharan and Kalat districts, prompting residents to evacuate residential and commercial buildings into open spaces.
Balochistan provincial administration officials confirmed that no immediate casualties or major structural collapses have been reported. However, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) units have been placed on high alert in rural areas surrounding Khuzdar to inspect mud-brick and unreinforced masonry homes for micro-cracks or structural failure. Geologists highlight that Balochistan's 347,190 square kilometer landmass sits directly atop a complex triple junction of the Indian, Eurasian, and Arabian tectonic plates, making moderate seismic events (between 5.5 and 5.9 magnitude) a recurring hazard along its active fault lines.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by International Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
