At least 328 people were killed and over 500 injured in the massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake that jolted Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province Tuesday, Jan Muhammad Buledi, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, told Xinhua Wednesday.

 

 Buledi said Awaran district of the province – the epicentre of the earthquake – was the worst-hit area where about 40 to 50 percent of houses in urban areas and 90 percent houses in rural areas were levelled to the ground.

 

 Awaran, 645 km away from Balochistan's capital Quetta, is home to 300,000 people and is among one of the country's least-developed districts where health, medical and other facilities are not easily available.

 

 Rasheed Gadozai, deputy commissioner of Awaran, told local media that an estimated 100,000 people have been affected in Awaran, while losses in some of the district's far-flung areas are yet to be determined as rescue teams couldn't reach there yet due to mountainous ridges in the area where road network was damaged by the earthquake.

 

 The provincial government started rescue operations in the area and announced a budget of about $1.6 million for immediate rescue and relief. 

 

 The government dispatched two trucks carrying food for the affected people.

 

 Awaran's district commissioner sought help from the army and government, as the district administration doesn't have adequate facilities to provide relief to the affected.

 

 The Pakistan army sent 1,600 troops to the worst hit areas of Khuzdar and Awaran, and shifted 174 people to hospitals after rescuing them from the debris of collapsed houses.

 

 The military has provided 200 tents and 7,000 kg of food to the affected people.

 

 Meanwhile, a team of 21 military doctors and 50 medics arrived in the area to provide medical treatment.

 

 Six army helicopters were taking part in the rescue work to airlift the seriously wounded people to hospitals in the country's southern port city of Karachi.

 

 Pakistan's navy also set up a medical camp in Gwadar area and dispatched a ship carrying blanket, tents, medicine, food and water. 

 

 A navy spokesperson said 300 troops have been sent on aircraft to the quake-hit areas.

 

 The provincial disaster management authority of Balochistan sent 19 trucks carrying food, water, blankets, tents and other necessities to the affected people.

 

 The earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit Balochistan and parts of the country's east and south provinces of Punjab and Sindh at 4.29 p.m. Tuesday.

 

 The meteorological department said Wednesday that several aftershocks, including one of 5.9 magnitude, were recorded following the major quake.

 

IANS