At least 160 killed in Pakistan quake

At least 160 people have been killed after a powerful earthquake rocked southwestern Pakistan.

Hundreds of mud-walled houses were brought down and many people are said to be buried under rubble.

The tremor struck shortly after 5am local time, as many people were sleeping in villages around 70 kilometres northeast of Quetta. The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.4, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department at 6.5.

Scores of people have been injured and officials said the death toll is expected to rise.

A rescue operation is underway and tents, blankets and clothing are being flown to the region, near the border with Afghanistan.

Quetta itself was largely destroyed in an earthquake in 1935. Three years ago, a 7.6 magnitude quake hit northern mountains in Pakistan, killing around 73,000 people.

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