12 killed as 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan (Roundup)

At least 12 people were killed while a dozen others were injured and dozens of houses collapsed when an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit Pakistan's southwest Balochistan Province Saturday afternoon, local officials said.

Talking to Xinhua over phone, Saif-ur-Rehman, spokesperson of Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), said that 12 people were killed when the quake razed several houses to ground in Nokjo town of Balochistan's Awaran District.

Saturday's earthquake came three days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Awaran, killing over 350 people and injuring over 600 others.

The PDMA spokesperson said that Nokjo town is located at a distance of six to eight hours of drive from the main Awaran City, and due to dilapidated roads, it would take quite a long time for the rescue teams to reach there.

"Once the rescue teams arrive, we would be able to brief the situation and casualty number," the spokesman said.

The epicentre of Saturday afternoon's earthquake was determined at 145 km northeast of Awaran with a focal depth of 47 km, local met office said.

Seismic vibrations of the quake, which lasted for 20 to 30 seconds, were also felt in the country's southern Sindh Province, creating panic among people, however, no loss of life were so far reported.

The met office said on its website that the earthquake struck the country at 12.34 p.m. with the epicentre determined to be at 27. 43 degrees north latitude and 65.67 degrees east longitude.