5.6-Magnitude Quake Hits South Pakistan

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit south Pakistan early on Friday, seismologists said.

The quake struck at 00:28 am local time (19:28 GMT) at the relatively shallow depth of five kilometers (three miles), 32 kilometers west of Warah in Sindh province, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

In an initial assessment, the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005, that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake devastated several areas, including Awaran in southwestern Baluchistan province, in September. It killed at least 376 people and left some 100,000 others homeless.