Quake jolts Pakistan: An earthquake jolted parts of southwestern Pakistan early on October 29, leaving at least 160 people dead and
hundreds others injured, officials said. The 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and several districts of the
province. Nine aftershocks were felt by 11 am. The quake also triggered landslides destroying about 1,500 houses and blocked roads. Many
people are believed to be buried in remote places in mountains above the Ziarat valley. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province but is thinly
populated. It has the country's biggest reserves of natural gas. There were no reports of damage to the gas facilities. The country lies in a
seismically active area. In 2005, about 75,000 people had died in northern Pakistan.
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