REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, ISLAMABAD -- A powerful earthquake measuring 6.4 magnitude at the Richter scale jolted the southwest region of Pakistan early Wednesday morning, Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Center said. No immediate loss of life or damage of property has been reported yet from the affected areas.

The strong tremors were felt in different areas of Pakistan's southwest province of Balochistan, including Turbat and coastal areas of Pasni and Gwadar at 3:03 a.m. local time. The epicenter was initially detected in an area some 23 kilometers west of fishing port Pasni, with a focal depth of 10 km, the seismic center said.

The temblor created panic among people who rushed out of their houses to open places despite of extreme cold weather, local Urdu TV channels reported. Pakistan is among the most earthquake-prone regions of the world with high vulnerability to earthquakes as the country lies in the collision zone of the India tectonic plate to the south and the Eurasian plate to the north.

In October 2015, an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude struck parts of Pakistan, killing at least 280 people, wounding over 1,900 others and damaging 100,552 houses and 1,426 schools.

In October 2005, a high intensity earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude hit parts of the country, causing a large scale destruction and killing over 80,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands others homeless.

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