7.06 pm: Pakistan says 21 dead in quake, Iran says no deaths yet

In what can only be described as a bizarre situation, Pakistan has reported 21 deaths die to the massive earthquake that struck Iran, while Iran has said that it has reported no deaths so far.

6.20 pm: No deaths reported in Iran so far, says official news agency

Even as Iran's Press TV says 'dozens' are believed to be dead in Iran due to the massive earthquake, the country's semi-official ISNA news agency has said that there are no reports of deaths so far. It has also dismissed an earlier claim by Reuters that hundreds of people are likely to have died in the quake.

This is in stark contrast to Pakistan which has already reported 12 dead from its Balochistan province after the quake. Reports coming in state that the quake has caused roof collapses in Karachi, injuring around 50 people, while Pakistani state radio says more than 1,000 houses are damaged in Balochistan.

6.07 pm: 'Complicated emergency situation' due to distance between villages

Iran's Red Crescent said it was facing a "complicated emergency situation" in the area with villages scattered over desolate hills and valleys, reported Associated Press.

Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency and others described the quake, measured at least magnitude 7.7, as the strongest quake in more than 50 years.

Iran's state TV said the quake was centered near Saravan, about 48 kilometers from the Pakistani border.

The quake was felt over a vast area from New Delhi to Gulf cities that have some of the world's tallest skyscrapers, including the record 828-meter (2,717 -foot) Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Officials ordered temporary evacuations from some high-rises as a precaution.

A resident in the quake zone, Manouchehr Karimi, told The Associated Press by phone that "the quake period was long" and occurred "when many people were at home to take a midday nap."

Pakistani news channels showed buildings shaking in the southern city of Karachi, where people in panic came out from offices and homes. There was no immediate word on any damage and people were seen standing outside their homes and offices even minutes after the quack rattled various parts of the country.

In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern Iranian city of Bam.

Iran's Press TV has meanwhile retracted its figure of 40 dead, saying that "dozens" are now believed to be dead.

Meanwhile the toll in Pakistan seems to be rising. The latest report via CNBC Pakistan says 10 people have been killed in the Balochistan region of the country.

5.47 pm: State of emergency declared in Saravan, Iran, after quake

CNN-IBN has reported that a state of emergency has been declared in Saravan, Iran. Saravan is located 158 km from Khash, that was reportedly the epicentre of the massive 7.8 quake. Saravan city is the capital of Saravan County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran.

Saravan is reportedly the location of many attacks, presumably by Baloch insurgents. Notable people who have been killed there include Iranian Judge Ebrahim Karimi.

No details of casualties yet, though there are reportedly accounts of three people suffering minor injuries.

Meanwhile Pakistan's Samaa TV reported that the death toll from quake in its Balochistan province has risen to 7, including 3 women and 2 children. al-Jazeera reporter Asad Hashim tweeted, "widespread damage reported in Mach Khel, Balochistan after earthquake, tho no confirmation on casualties yet"

https://twitter.com/AsadHashim/status/324134658738626560

5.33 pm: Five also reported killed in Kharan district, Pakistan

The toll from the deadly 7.8 earthquake that struck Iran is also being felt in Pakistan. PTI Pakistan correspondent Rezaul Hasan Laskar tweeted that state media channels were reporting five deaths in Pakistan's Kharan district. BNO News founder Michael Poppel tweeted "Unconfirmed reports that hundreds of buildings have collapsed in Pakistan".

This is in addition to the 40 people said to have been killed in Iran.

Kharan district is located in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Interestingly, Pakistan's second nuclear test was performed in the Kharan desert on 30 May, 1998.

5.22 pm: Power, networks down in most of Baluchistan

Iranian State television has reported that power and communication systems are down in most of Sistan and Baluchistan province after the quake. And in case you were wondering about Iran's nuclear facilities, it turns out that they will not face the same fate as Japan's nuclear plant.
