Massive Earthquake Hits Southwest Pakistan

Two Pakistani men, left, read verses from the Quran as they gathered with others outside their homes after as an earthquake hit Pakistan, early Wednesday. (Arshad Butt/Associated Press)

JANUARY 18, 2011
By TOM WRIGHT and ZAHID HUSSAIN
Wall Street Journal

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A 7.2-magnitude earthquake jolted southwestern Pakistan early on Wednesday in a sparsely-populated area near the nation's borders with Iran and Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports of large casualties. The quake's epicenter was 30 miles west of Dalbandin, a town in Pakistan's Baluchistan province. Television reports from Quetta, the provincial capital and the most populous city in the area, appeared to show that it had been spared major damage.

Officials in Karen, another town close to the epicenter, told the Associated Press that the town suffered no widespread damage.

Nasir Baluch, a police officer in Karan, told AP that several mud houses collapsed or were damaged in an area outside the town called Mashkil. There was no immediate word on casualties, but the area is sparsely populated, he said.

People came out of their houses in the southern city of Karachi, home to 18 million people, but no major damage was reported.

Karachi resident Mohammad Zubair told AP that he was watching a cricket match on TV when his bed began to shake.

"I jumped out of bed realizing it was an earthquake," the 28-year-old said. "My mom started reciting verses from the Quran, and we rushed outside."

The quake's aftershocks were felt in New Delhi, India's capital, more than 700 miles away, with walls shaking for a few seconds.

Some Chinese state-owned mining companies have operations in the area close to the epicenter of the quake. It was unclear whether they were affected.

An earthquake of similar intensity in Pakistan's Kashmir region killed more than 70,000 people in 2005. The area hit by the quake on Wednesday is known for its seismic activity. The country is also still reeling from last summer's deadly flooding, which killed almost 2,000 people, affected 20 million others, and caused billions of dollars in damages.

The city of Bam in eastern Iran was hit by a temblor in 2003, killing some 25,000 people.

U.S. officials in Washington said they did not have an immediate idea about what aid might be needed to respond to the Pakistani earthquake or what the U.S. could offer.

But as soon as the geological service reported the earthquake on Tuesday, U.S. defense officials began gathering assessments of the damage and whether humanitarian aid might need to be provided.

The earthquake was centered in a critical area for both the U.S. and Pakistan. Baluchistan is a safe haven for the Afghanistan Taliban, whose leaders live in the region's capital, Quetta. American officials for years have pressed, unsuccessfully, for Pakistan officials to move against militants in Baluchistan.

Any natural disaster that distracts the Pakistani army from counter insurgency operations along the western border will be of worry to U.S. officials. The Pakistani military is only now beginning to resume its combat operations after spending months leading recovery efforts after last summer's floods which displaced millions from their homes in western and central Pakistan.

If damage from the earthquake is extensive throughout Baluchistan, much will be riding on the government response. Last year, President Asif Ali Zardari was criticized for the failure of his government to immediately respond to the floods. Almost any natural disaster carries the risk of highlighting the civilian government's inability to provide real services or relief outside of the Pakistan heartland.

Militant groups may also try to mount their own aid efforts. After the floods militant groups opposed to the Pakistani government publicized their relief work in an effort to undercut public support for Mr. Zardari's government.

Still, there remains opportunity in natural disasters. The U.S. response to the Pakistan earthquake in 2005, which killed more than 70,000, was widely praised. The defense department flew thousands of helicopter sorties and the State Department funneled in hundreds of millions in relief aid. The quick response was credited with raising public opinion of America throughout Pakistan, at least temporarily.

—Julian E. Barnes contributed to this article.