At Least 45 People Die in Pakistan Earthquake

A major earthquake in southwestern Pakistan left 45 people dead and many others injured on Tuesday.

Mirza Kamran Zia, a spokesman for the country's National Disaster Management Authority, said that most of the causalities were caused by houses collapsing on their occupants. At least 30 percent of the homes in the Awaran district were damaged, according to some reports.

Emergency crews were sent to the area to bring supplies and help with rescue and clean up efforts.

The quake, which registered as at least a 7.7 in magnitude, hit a remote area of Baluchistan province, the country's largest but least populated province. But the tremors could be felt as far away as New Delhi India, and even prompted a new island to rise from the sea as a result of the quake, just off the country's southern coast.

In Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, the quake sent workers in the city's high rise buildings rushing to the streets as structures swayed. Resident Mohammad Taimur a Karchi told the Associated Press, "I was working on my computer in the office. Suddenly I felt tremors. My table and computer started shaking. I thought I am feeling dizziness but soon realized they were tremors."

Baluchistan and Iran, which are right next to each other are no strangers to earthquakes. Last April a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Iran killed 35 people in Pakistan.