KHUZDAR, Pakistan / AsiaWire.IO / – On Saturday, October 17, a magnitude 5.6 tremor was reported in the vicinity of Khuzdar within Pakistan’s Balochistan province, according to information provided by the German Research Centre for Geosciences. The GFZ indicated that the quake originated at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, approximately 6 miles below the surface. Such shallow seismic events tend to produce more intense shaking at ground level compared to deeper ones of similar magnitude. Initial reports did not specify any casualties or damage, and Khuzdar is situated in the central part of the region.
The figures for magnitude and depth were released by the GFZ via its global earthquake monitoring platform, which provides rapid assessments of significant seismic activities worldwide. These preliminary estimates are subject to revision as additional seismic data becomes available. The initial information on Saturday’s event relied on the GFZ’s calculations, and further details about the impact on Khuzdar and neighboring districts had not been made public at that time.
Balochistan is located along a seismically active zone along the southern boundary of the Eurasian plate, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge at an oblique angle along Pakistan’s western edge. The region is traversed by fault systems such as the Chaman Fault and the Sulaiman fold and thrust belt, which have historically caused numerous destructive earthquakes over the past century. Consequently, Pakistan’s western provinces frequently experience moderate tremors as a result of ongoing tectonic activity.
Balochistan’s History of Devastating Earthquakes
The region has endured several catastrophic seismic events, including the 1935 Quetta earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that resulted in an estimated death toll between 30,000 and 60,000 individuals. In 1945, an 8.1 magnitude quake off the Makran coast triggered a tsunami that claimed about 4,000 lives. The Ziarat District experienced a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in 2008, which caused 215 fatalities. More recently, in September 2013, a magnitude 7.7 quake in Awaran District—bordering Khuzdar—killed 825 people and injured approximately 700.
On October 7, 2021, Harnai District was struck by a magnitude 5.9 earthquake during the early morning hours when many residents were asleep, resulting in at least 42 deaths. The event injured around 300 individuals and destroyed roughly 10,000 mud houses across Harnai and the Shahrag area, with landslides blocking roads and impeding rescue efforts. Overwhelmed hospitals had to evacuate some of the injured by air to Quetta.
Pakistan Experiences Multiple Seismic Events in 2026
The earthquake on Saturday is part of a series of seismic disturbances across Pakistan this year. In August, a quake was felt near Sost in Gilgit-Baltistan, and in April, a magnitude 6.2 event centered in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region was recorded. Due to the country’s location straddling the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet beneath the surface, seismic activity remains a persistent hazard from the northern mountains to the southwestern coast of Pakistan.
While moderate earthquakes like Saturday’s can cause damage to weaker structures near the epicenter, especially where building standards are inadequate, aftershocks are common following shallow seismic events in this region. For example, the 2021 Harnai earthquake was succeeded by two aftershocks measuring 4.6 and 4.5 in magnitude. Initial reports about Saturday’s quake did not mention any aftershocks, but further updates are anticipated as local authorities continue to evaluate the situation around Khuzdar.