People injured in earthquake taken to Karachi hospital for treatment

Four people injured in the earthquake that hit the Awaran district of Pakistan's Baluchistan province have been brought to Karachi for emergency treatment. This first group of patients all have broken or fractured bones, doctors say. They are being treated at Karachi Civil Hospital. The death toll from Wednesday's massive tremor has risen to 271, with at least 446 injured. "The house collapsed when the earthquake struck. I was in my room and my children were in another room. Now I don't know where my wife and children are, whether they are alive or dead," said victim Noor Bux. The quake flattened wide swathes of Awaran. Most of the victims were killed when their houses collapsed. The provincial government said dozens more seriously injured people will need to be taken to hospitals in Karachi and the provincial capital Quetta. The remoteness of the area and the lack of infrastructure have hampered the relief efforts. The 7.7 magnitude quake has left thousands homeless, as rescuers struggled to reach them. Pakistani forces have evacuated 174 people from various villages around Awaran to the district hospital, the military said in a statement. Local officials said they were sending doctors, food and 1,000 tents for people who had nowhere to sleep as strong aftershocks continued to shake the region. Pakistani officials were investigating a small island that appeared off the coast of Pakistan after the quake, apparently the result of earth and mud pushed to the surface by the quake. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e7a84208ea8f30fa776181f2e265db47 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork