From Our Correspondent:
Earthquake survivors complain about the lack of relief goods and lament that so far no government official has visited their affected villages. “Neither our MPA nor any official has come here”, Faiz ul Haq, a resident of Killi Muhammad Ismail located on the border between Washuk and Kharan district lamented.
The village Killi Ismail comprises over 400 houses and most of the houses have been damaged by the mild earthquake that struck the area a couple of days ago. In this village, almost all houses have been damaged by the earthquake, Muhammad Ismail, who appeared to be in his early 40s demanded. “We cannot live in these damaged houses”, he said pointing towards his damaged mud-walled house in the background.
An aftershock was felt in Balochistan’s Washuk district after a mild earthquake measuring 5.4 on the reactor scale damaged over 300 mud-walled houses on Thursday morning.
People were already out of their damaged houses, therefore, no human loss was caused as a result of the aftershock, Nisar Chalgari, the Deputy Commissioner Washuk told the daily Quetta Voice via telephone.
The provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) had provided relief goods including food items, blankets and tents to the displaced people in Killi Sajid area of tehsil Basima district Washuk. “We have been able to reach out to all displaced people”, Mr. Chalgari said.
The earthquake hit hard Killi Sajid area of district Washuk and most of its mud-walled houses were severely damaged by the tremors. The provincial government had ordered the district administration to assess the damages caused by the earthquake. “Our officials are on the spot to collect information about the damages”, the Deputy Commissioner said.
Panic prevailed in the area in the aftermath of earthquake tremors and then aftershocks. “We are frightened to go close to our damaged houses”, Muhammad Asif, a resident of Killi Sajid told the daily Quetta Voice. Scorching heat and fear of earthquake, we are disturbed, Asif lamented.
Mild tremors have hit the bordering district with Iran a few days after the tremors jolted Chaman, Pakistan’s bordering city with neighboring Afghanistan. Quetta and most parts of Balochistan are located in the red zone with regard to earthquakes.
