[NEW UPDATE] Pakistan's Quake Island 'Emits Flammable Gas'
Pakistani officials are investigating whether the powerful earthquake that killed dozens also created a new island off the southern coast.
By Sadho Ram — 25 Sep 2013, 10:37 AM — Updated about 11 years ago
Pakistan's 'quake island' is spewing methane gas and as per experts it 'may not stay afloat'
Pakistan's 'quake island' is spewing methane gas and as per experts it 'may not stay afloat'.
Image via imgur.comMethane gas is emanating from a small island created in the Arabian Sea by the deadly earthquake that hit southwest Pakistan, prompting experts to warn people not to go near it.
indianexpress.comHowever, the site has fascinated local residents, who have thronged the coastline in Balochistan province to get a glimpse of the new piece of land that emerged from the sea.
A team of Pakistani researchers took samples Wednesday from a new island that mysteriously appeared off the coast following a massive earthquake this week, but warned area fishermen to avoid it and experts said the island may disappear as quickly as it arose.
630wpro.comThe so-called island is not a fixed structure but a body of mud that will be broken down by wave activity and dispersed over time, the scientist said.
IN PICTURES: Pakistan's new island
People walk on an island that rose from the sea following an earthquake, off Pakistan's Gwadar coastline in the Arabian Sea 25 September, 2013.
Image via bbcimg.co.uk
In this photo released by the Pakistani Government, Pakistani men walk on an island that appeared 2 kilometres off the coastline of Gwadar on 25 September, 2013.
Image via bbcimg.co.uk
In this photo released by the Pakistani Government, Pakistani men walk on an island that appeared two kilometres off the coastline of Gwadar on 25 September, 2013, after an earthquake.
Image via bbcimg.co.uk
A boat near an island that appeared two kilometres off the coastline of Gwadar on 25 September, 2013.
Image via bbcimg.co.ukEarthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck the southwestern province of Balochistan, prompting a new island to rise from the sea just off Pakistan's southern coast
A 30 to 40 feet high mountain like island near Gwadar can be seen in the picture. – Photo courtesy Syed Ali Shah
Image via imgur.comZahid Rafi, a principal seismologist at Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Center, told CNN that the island's formation was "not surprising," given how powerful the earthquake was
express.co.uk
The United States Geological Survey has issued a "red" alert for the earthquake, which means the agency is predicting more than 1,000 could be dead
A massive earthquake struck near the southern coast of Pakistan today, killing upwards of 100 people, injuring dozens more.
dawn.com
It struck at 16:29 (11:29 GMT) at a depth of 20km (13 miles), 66km north-east of Awaran in Balochistan province, the US Geological Survey said. It was felt as far away as Karachi, Hyderabad, and India's capital, Delhi.
The epicenter of the 7.7-magnitude quake was in the district of Awaran, a remote and mountainous area where at least 45 people were killed, the BBC said. Another 150 died in the nearby Balochistan province
The earthquake has caused about 30 percent of the homes in Awaran to fall
About 30 percent of the homes in Awaran had fallen during the quake and that many are feared to be trapped beneath the rubble. The quake's tremors lasted about 2 minutes and aftershocks could be felt in Karachi, hundreds of miles southeast of Awaran.
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