At least 210 people have been killed and many more injured after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan, according to local officials. The provincial government has declared an emergency in Awaran district of Balochistan, the area worst hit by the quake, which struck at 4:29pm local time (11:29 GMT) [24 September 2013.09.2013] at a depth of 15km. Brigadier Syed Wajid Raza, ERRA's chief of staff, told Al Jazeera that many people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. The Pakistani military, meanwhile, has said that it has commenced rescue operations in the area. Abdul Qadoos, deputy speaker of the Balochistan provincial assembly, told Reuters that at least 30 percent of houses in the impoverished Awaran district had caved in. Citing officials, Syed Ali Shah, the Balochistan bureau chief for Dawn News, told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the disaster had risen as rescue efforts were severely hampered by tough road conditions. The area was one of the most remote and underdeveloped in the country, he said. "The death toll has reached 217. More than 300 injured people have been shifted to different hospitals in Balochistan," he said. "I spoke to some survivors and they said that since yesterday they have been waiting for relief." "The earthquake has really affected communications in the area," he said. An added difficulty was resistance from armed groups in the area to the arrival of medical workers, he said, citing an incident on Tuesday evening in which unknown armed men opened fire on medical workers. New island The USGS originally measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.4 and depth of 29km, but later revised that figure. Pakistan's meteorological office said the magnitude was 7.7. Tremors were felt across the province as well as in the port city of Karachi, residents have said. Mild tremors were also felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi. The earthquake was so powerful that it caused the seabed to rise and create a small, mountain-like island about 600m off Pakistan's Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea. Television channels showed images of a stretch of rocky terrain rising above the sea level, with a crowd of bewildered people gathering on the shore to witness the rare phenomenon. The epicentre was in a remote, thinly populated mountainous area of Balochistan with no major industrial installations. Muhammad Riaz, a senior Pakistan meteorologist, told local media that the earthquake was "major" and that "heavy destruction" was likely. Mumtaz Baloch, a senior local administration official in Awaran district, 350km southwest of provincial capital Quetta, told AFP: "There are reports of houses being collapsed in the district due to earthquake." "We also have initial information about injuries to people as a result of the collapse of houses but there are no reports of any deaths. We have dispatched our teams to the affected area to ascertain the losses." In April, a 7.8-magnitude quake centred in southeast Iran, close to the border with Balochistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistan side of the border.

At least 210 people have been killed and many more injured after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Pakistan, according to local officials.The provincial government has declared an emergency in Awaran district of Balochistan, the area worst hit by the quake, which struck at 4:29pm local time (11:29 GMT) [24 September 2013.09.2013] at a depth of 15km.Brigadier Syed Wajid Raza, ERRA's chief of staff, told Al Jazeera that many people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.The Pakistani military, meanwhile, has said that it has commenced rescue operations in the area.Abdul Qadoos, deputy speaker of the Balochistan provincial assembly, told Reuters that at least 30 percent of houses in the impoverished Awaran district had caved in.Citing officials, Syed Ali Shah, the Balochistan bureau chief for Dawn News, told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the disaster had risen as rescue efforts were severely hampered by tough road conditions. The area was one of the most remote and underdeveloped in the country, he said."The death toll has reached 217. More than 300 injured people have been shifted to different hospitals in Balochistan," he said."I spoke to some survivors and they said that since yesterday they have been waiting for relief.""The earthquake has really affected communications in the area," he said.An added difficulty was resistance from armed groups in the area to the arrival of medical workers, he said, citing an incident on Tuesday evening in which unknown armed men opened fire on medical workers.

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The USGS originally measured the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.4 and depth of 29km, but later revised that figure. Pakistan's meteorological office said the magnitude was 7.7.Tremors were felt across the province as well as in the port city of Karachi, residents have said. Mild tremors were also felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi.The earthquake was so powerful that it caused the seabed to rise and create a small, mountain-like island about 600m off Pakistan's Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea.Television channels showed images of a stretch of rocky terrain rising above the sea level, with a crowd of bewildered people gathering on the shore to witness the rare phenomenon.The epicentre was in a remote, thinly populated mountainous area of Balochistan with no major industrial installations.Muhammad Riaz, a senior Pakistan meteorologist, told local media that the earthquake was "major" and that "heavy destruction" was likely.Mumtaz Baloch, a senior local administration official in Awaran district, 350km southwest of provincial capital Quetta, told AFP: "There are reports of houses being collapsed in the district due to earthquake.""We also have initial information about injuries to people as a result of the collapse of houses but there are no reports of any deaths. We have dispatched our teams to the affected area to ascertain the losses."In April, a 7.8-magnitude quake centred in southeast Iran, close to the border with Balochistan, killed 41 people and affected more than 12,000 on the Pakistan side of the border.