provided by cnnnext.com
Islamabad Pakistan A powerful earthquake in Pakistan has not only cost dozens of lives it also prompted the appearance of a small island off the coast, Pakistani officials said.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck in a remote area of southern Pakistan on Tuesday, but it had severe consequences.
At least 46 people were killed in Awaran in Balochistan province, provincial Home Secretary Asad Gilani said.
In addition to the fatalities, "dozens have been injured," Gilani said.
Officials fear people are trapped in the rubble.
The quake was strong enough to cause a mass 20 to 30 feet high to emerge from the ocean like a small mountain island off the coast of Gwadar, local police official Mozzam Jah said.
A large number of people gathered to view the newly formed island, he said.
Large quakes can cause significant deformation to the earth's crust, particularly visible along coastlines.
The island is about 100 feet in diameter and about one mile off the coast, GEO TV reported.
Zahid Rafi, principal seismologist for the National Seismic Monitoring Center, confirmed the island had formed.
He said it was "not surprising," considering the magnitude of the earthquake.
But John Bellini, a geophysicist with the U.S.
Geological Survey, said that generally it would be unlikely for such a large island to emerge from a quake like Tuesday's.
Many things, such as the tide, could come into play regarding the rise of the island, he said.
More than 1,000 troops will be sent to the area to provide aid, including rescue teams and medical teams, Maj.
Gen.
Asim Bajwa said.
With a depth of about nine miles (about 15 kilometers), the quake struck 43 miles (69 kilometers) northeast of Awaran and 71 miles (114 kilometers) northwest of Bela, the U.S.
Geological Survey said.
Some mud-walled homes fell in Awaran, said Latif Kakar, director of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority in Balochistan.
The tremors lasted two minutes.
People flocked out onto the streets of Quetta, the provincial capital.
Aftershocks could be felt in Karachi, hundreds of miles to the southeast.
www.cnn.com/2013/09/24/world/asia/pakistan-earthquake/index.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VPC8BTCAq4
FAIR USE NOTICE: This Video may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc.
It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text
