International Medical Corps is assessing the damage and humanitarian needs as a result of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck southwestern Pakistan at 1:23 AM local time on Wednesday. While the area is reported to be sparsely populated, International Medical Corps’ global and regional Emergency Response Teams are on standby, preparing to respond as needed.
The earthquake struck some 34 miles west of Dalbandin and was reportedly felt as far as 1,000 miles away in Delhi, India. In 2005, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Pakistan, killing 73,000 people.
With a humanitarian presence in Pakistan for 25 years, International Medical Corps was one of the first responders to the Kashmir earthquake in 2005 as well as the devastating floods that hit Pakistan this year, affecting approximately 20 million people. International Medical Corps continues to support those displaced by the floods with psychosocial services and 102 medical teams that deliver care up to 200 patients a day.
International Medical Corps has worked in Pakistan since 1984, when it provided paramedical training to Afghan refugees. Today, International Medical Corps provides health care services and water and sanitation facilities to internally displaced Pakistanis as well as Afghan refugees and operates an emergency obstetrics care center in Peshawar.