Karachi, 16 December (H.S.): A magnitude 5.0 earthquake rattled southeastern Balochistan and parts of Karachi on Tuesday morning, with tremors originating from the seismically volatile Sonmiani coastal region, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) .

The quake, recorded at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, sent ripples of panic through densely populated areas approximately 87 kilometers northwest of Karachi, though authorities reported no immediate casualties or structural damage .

Sonmiani, a modest fishing village in Balochistan's Lasbela district, lies at the epicenter where the Indo-Australian plate grinds against the Eurasian plate, rendering the zone perpetually susceptible to such disruptions .

Tectonic Fault Lines and Preceding Tremors

Balochistan's rugged terrain exemplifies Pakistan's precarious position astride major tectonic boundaries, including the Chaman Transform Fault, which channels oblique convergence and fuels recurrent seismic episodes .

Just a day prior, on Monday, a milder 3.2-magnitude tremor shook Sibi district in northern Balochistan, underscoring the region's unrelenting volatility without escalating to widespread harm.

Pakistani seismic monitors, corroborated by international agencies like the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), pegged the event around 00:51 local time, with varying assessments between 4.8 and 5.2 magnitude reflecting preliminary data refinements .

Rescue teams remain vigilant, as shallow quakes of this intensity can destabilize older infrastructure in remote coastal hamlets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar