KARACHI, Jan 18: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake jolted Karachi, several other cities in Sindh, large swathes of Balochistan and parts of Punjab early on Wednesday, shaking buildings and causing panic.

An official at the Met office said the quake struck at 1:23am. The epicentre was 55 kilometres west of Dalbandin and 263kms from Kalat.

Shocks were also felt in Dubai, to the west, and New Delhi, to the east.

“It was a very strong and high magnitude earthquake,” said the official. “The quake struck twice within a few seconds, but did not last long. We don't have immediate reports of any damage.”

The shocks lasted almost a minute. The quake that devastated northern Pakistan in October 2005 was of 7.6 magnitude.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake was very shallow — at a depth of 10kms. A quake of this magnitude is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage, but there were no immediate reports of casualty or damage from any part of the country.

Reports from Quetta said that most major towns in Balochistan, including Ziarat, Pishin, Jafferabad and Nasirabad, were shaken and terrified people came out in the open.

Tremors were also felt in Hyderabad, Larkana, Pasni, Gawadar and a number of other coastal towns in Balochistan.

The Pacific tsunami centre said the onshore quake had not triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

In Karachi, the jolts brought people living in high-rise buildings out onto the streets. Rescue services, however, said they had not received reports of any loss of lives in any part of Karachi.