QUETTA  -  An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 jolted parts of Balochistan on Friday morning, the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) confirmed.

The NSMC said that the centre of the earthquake was 80 kilometers north of Bela city of Balochistan province.  Tremors were felt in Khuzdar, Dalbandin, Harnau, Omara, Washuk and Chaghi districts. The quake created panic in the affected areas forcing them to leave their houses in fear.

“The roofs of hundreds of houses collapsed in the Arinji area of Khuzdar,” Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) officials quoting reports reaching the provincial capital said. The official further noted that the rescue operation has been launched in the affected areas, however no loss of life has so far been reported from any parts of the province.