A mild earthquake shook Pakistan’s city Loralai and adjoining areas early Saturday, prompting some residents to step outside as the ground momentarily trembled.
According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC), the quake was minor and short in duration, registering a magnitude of 3.4. The epicentre was identified about 23 kilometres south-east of Loralai.
Authorities confirmed that the incident caused no damage or injuries.
Saturday’s event comes amid a series of low-intensity quakes reported across Balochistan in recent days. On Tuesday, a 3.1-magnitude tremor struck near Sibi, roughly 60 kilometres north-east of the district. That quake was also shallow and passed too quickly to cause any impact.
Earlier in November, Ziarat and its surrounding localities experienced a stronger 5.0-magnitude jolt. Data from the NSMC, operated by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), indicated that the quake originated about 67 kilometres north-east of Quetta. No casualties or destruction were recorded.
Ziarat, however, carries a painful reminder of past seismic disasters. In 2008, the district suffered one of its worst tragedies when a powerful earthquake killed more than 200 people and injured around 500.Entire clusters of homes collapsed, leaving over 15,000 people displaced, many of them women and children from remote settlements. Neighbouring districts such as Pishin, Bolan, Chaman and Quetta also faced extensive losses.
Pakistan’s location along major fault lines makes it highly prone to earthquakes. The country has endured some of the region’s deadliest tremors, including the 2005 northern disaster that claimed nearly 73,000 lives and the 1935 Quetta quake which killed about 30,000 people.
Much of Balochistan lies on the collision zone of the Indian and Eurasian plates, and its rugged terrain often complicates emergency operations.
Across the border, Afghanistan also reported a fatal quake earlier this month. A 6.3-magnitude tremor near Mazar-e-Sharif on 3 November left at least seven people dead and injured about 150 others. The neighbouring country is still reeling from a series of powerful quakes in August that killed more than 2,200 people.
