Death toll rises to 328 in SW Pakistan's quake

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the mouthpiece of Pakistan army, said that they dispatched a team of 1000 troops to the quake-site on Tuesday night, while 600 more were sent to the area on Wednesday.

The military has provided 200 tents and 7000 kg of food to the affected people, meanwhile a team of 21 military doctors and 50 medics arrived in the area to provide medical treatment to the injured people.

Six army helicopters are taking part in the rescue work to airlift the seriously wounded people to hospitals in the country's southern port city of Karachi, said the ISPR.

Pakistan Navy also set up a medical camp in Gwadar area and dispatched a ship carrying blanket, tents, medicine, food and water. The Navy spokesperson said that they have sent 300 troops on aircrafts to the quake-hit areas.

Provincial disaster management authority of Balochistan sent 19 trucks carrying food, water, blankets, tents and other necessities of life to the affected people.

The earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude on Richter scale hit Balochistan and parts of the country's east and south provinces of Punjab and Sindh. The quake was determined to be at 29.09 degrees north latitude and 65.61 degrees east longitude.

Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that several aftershocks including one of 5.9 magnitude were recorded following the major quake that struck the country at 4:29 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

After the earthquake, an island emerged at a distance of 5 km from the Gwadar coast which is 300 to 400 meters in size around 10 meters in height, said the NDMA.

Both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain expressed their sorrow over the natural disaster and directed the concerned departments to provide relief to the affected people in a quicker possible way.

They also directed hospital administration to provide best possible medical facilities to the injured people.

International community including China, Turkey and Iran expressed grief over the calamity and offered to provide help to the quake-hit people.