Moderate earthquake hits southern Pakistan

A moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Pakistan today but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

A moderate 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted southern Pakistan today but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, officials said.

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The epicentre of the quake was 70 kilometres (43 miles) southeast of Sibi, a major city in southern Baluchistan province which borders Iran and Afghanistan.

"Tremors were felt at 5:02 pm local time in Sibi and Quetta cities in the Baluchistan province," meteorologist Arif Mehmood told AFP.

"The earthquake struck at the depth of 10 kilometres," he addded.

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 northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.