Officials in Pakistan say the death toll from a strong earthquake in southwestern Pakistan Tuesday has risen to at least 210 after thousands of mud homes in the mountainous Awaran district of Baluchistan province collapsed.
A local official made the announcement early Wednesday. He said more than 300 more people are injured. Rescue workers are trying to move them to hospitals, but their efforts have been hampered by the widespread destruction. The official said survivors in the area -- which is near the border with Iran -- are in desperate need of tents, medicine, and food.
Members of the military have been airlifted to the area to deliver supplies and help with recovery efforts.
The powerful temblor Tuesday, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7, also caused the seabed to rise and create a small island. Pakistani news channels showed images of the rocky terrain that rose from the sea off the country's southern coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake's epicenter was about 230 kilometers southwest of Dalbandin in Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Reports say the quake was felt as far away as New Delhi.
It was the worst earthquake to hit Pakistan since 2005, when a quake near Kashmir killed at least 73,000 people.
A local official made the announcement early Wednesday. He said more than 300 more people are injured. Rescue workers are trying to move them to hospitals, but their efforts have been hampered by the widespread destruction. The official said survivors in the area -- which is near the border with Iran -- are in desperate need of tents, medicine, and food.
Members of the military have been airlifted to the area to deliver supplies and help with recovery efforts.
The powerful temblor Tuesday, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7, also caused the seabed to rise and create a small island. Pakistani news channels showed images of the rocky terrain that rose from the sea off the country's southern coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake's epicenter was about 230 kilometers southwest of Dalbandin in Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Reports say the quake was felt as far away as New Delhi.
It was the worst earthquake to hit Pakistan since 2005, when a quake near Kashmir killed at least 73,000 people.