The powerful earthquake occurred on Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan has killed more than 200 people and caused scores of injures, local television reported on Thursday.

The death toll is expected to rise as many bodies may be buried under rubbles when the calamity leveled about 2,000 mud-walled houses in northern part of Balochistan province on Wednesday.

The epicenter of earthquake measuring 6.5 on Richter scale was in the scenic tourist spot Ziarat district, about 60 km north of Balochistan's capital Quetta.

The earthquake also left 15,000 homeless.

Ziarat and Pishin districts were the worst-hit areas, said National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Farooq Ahmed Khan at a press conference on Wednesday evening.

The government was undertaking the needed rescue efforts, and mobilizing essential goods, including tents, blankets, medicines and warm clothes to the affected area, said Farooq.

Two C-130 planes had already delivered relief goods and more assistance was on way, and the Pakistan army had sent 300 paramilitary forces to Ziarat and 100 to Pishin.

Local television showed that the local people, wrapped up with blankets, spent chilly night amid ensuing aftershocks.

As many as 20 aftershocks, with the biggest of 6.2 magnitude, had been recorded after the major earthquake and the meteorological departments warned that more aftershocks were expected in a week.

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2008)