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| People walk on an island that reportedly emerged off the Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea. A deadly magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the remote district of Awaran in Pakistan's Baluchistan province with enough force to create a small island visible off the southern coast, Pakistani officials said. (AP Photo/Gwadar local government office) |
Aleem spoke to reporters in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.
The remoteness of the area and lack of infrastructure has hampered relief efforts.
Rescuers struggled Wednesday to help thousands of people injured and left homeless after their houses collapsed in a massive earthquake in southwestern Pakistan the day before.
The earth moved with enough force to create a small island visible off the southern coast after the huge tremor, said Pakistani officials.
The magnitude 7.7 quake struck in the remote district of Awaran in Pakistan's Baluchistan province on Tuesday afternoon. Such a quake is considered major, capable of widespread and heavy damage.
The quake flattened wide swathes of Awaran, the district where it was centred. Most of the victims were killed when their houses collapsed.
Associated Press images from the village of Kaich showed the devastation that the massive quake had wrought. Houses made mostly of mud and handmade bricks had collapsed, walls and roofs caved in and people's possessions scattered on the ground. A few goats roamed through the wreckage as men dug through the rubble.
In images shown on Pakistani television, an unidentified man who appeared to be injured in his leg was shown supported by two men helping him walk. He said he was drinking tea when he heard a loud bang: "It shook everything."
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