A major earthquake struck a region near the Iran-Pakistan border on Tuesday, leaving at least 31 people dead in Pakistan’s southwestern areas, officials said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state television earlier reported at least 81 people killed in the aftermath. The report was later retracted
Furthermore, 31 people died at the Pak-Iran border and over 100 people were injured in the Mashakhel area.
An Iranian government official said he expected hundreds of deaths from the massive 7.8 magnitude earth quake, felt as far away as New Delhi and Gulf cities of Dubai and Bahrain.
“It was the biggest earthquake in Iran in 40 years and we are expecting hundreds of dead,†said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The epicenter was in southeast Iran in an area of mountains and desert. It was located 201 km southeast of the Iranian city of Zahedan and 250 km northwest of Turbat in Pakistan, USGS said.
Tremors were felt across several Pakistani cities, including Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Chaghi, Sibi, Jaffarabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Badin, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi.
According to reports, the earthquake shook areas from Quetta to Pak-Iran Border Taftan and Pak-Afghan border Chaman and Mekran belt near Arabian Sea.
Several part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, also felt the jolts.
Tremors from the earthquake were felt as far away as New Delhi and the Gulf cities of Dubai and Bahrain.
Across the Gulf, high-rise buildings swayed and officials ordered evacuations. Dubai has the world’s tallest tower, the 828-meter Burj Khalifa.
Last week, a deadly 6.1 magnitude quake about 96 kilometers southeast of Bushehr, the site of Iran’s reactor.
