More than 20 people, mostly children, died and above 300 hundred injured on October 7, when an earthquake hit Hernai district in Balochistan. The earthquake was of 5.9M with the depth of 9km, followed by an aftershock of 4.9M with a depth of 12km, according to USGS. Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Balochistan reported that houses within a 15km radius of Harnai districts had been destroyed and rescue teams of military and frontier corps (FC) were engaged in relief efforts. There had been also some landsliding in mountainous areas. According to the initial reports from the civil administration, more than 100 houses are fully damaged and operations underway to rescue people stuck under the debris. As the Minister for Home Affairs of Balochistan reported, five to six districts are affected on a “major scale” and data are still being collected. A medical emergency has been declared at the Civil Hospital Quetta where doctors and other paramedical staff have been recalled on an emergency basis, according to the hospital personnel. (ECHO, 7 Oct 2021)

As of 12 October, 16 people died (five male, three female and eight children) and 219 were injured (54 male, 73 female and 92 children) according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Over 100 mud houses and 11 schools were estimated to have been completely damaged and more than 5,000 partially damaged houses were reported to be non-inhabitable. Harnai is the worst-hit district of Balochistan and has been receiving aftershocks of varying intensity. According to humanitarian partners’ survey, more than 63,000 people have been affected in the district. The extent of humanitarian needs and damage is still being assessed and the figures provided by authorities are preliminary and subject to change. The National Emergency Operation Centre is coordinating rescue and relief efforts and supporting the Provincial Disaster Management Agency (PDMA) of Balochistan. The most priority needs from initial assessment findings include shelter, food and blankets. UNHCR has provided 500 emergency tents and thousands of core relief sets to PDMA to support shelter needs in the affected areas. The Government has not requested international assistance. (OCHA, 12 Oct 2021)

On 15 October, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has declared emergency in district Harnai as natural calamity area due to the earthquake. At least 21 people kill and more than 300 people injured. According to the local administration, there are around 800 to 1000 fully/severely damaged houses. Majority of the houses in the area were made with mud and stones, making them quite vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes. The earthquake badly affected Union councils of Saddar 1, Saddar 2, Naqas, Sharaq and Badyaan. Due to remoteness of the area, authorities were facing hurdles in initial response as some roads had been blocked due to landslides. (IFRC, 17 Oct 2021)

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