Braving freezing temperatures, rescuers on Thursday sifted through the debris of the collapsed mud houses in Pakistan's impoverished Balochistan province to look for more survivors of a massive quake that left at least 215 people dead as thousands of displaced people anxiously waited for relief supplies.

Soldiers and paramilitary forces fanned out across the remote and underdeveloped Ziarat and Pishin districts, which bore the brunt of Wednesday's 6.5-magnitude quake, to search for survivors and ferry relief supplies. Army choppers carried out missions to spot survivors in rugged mountainous terrain.

Balochistan Revenue Minister Zamarruk Khan said the toll had climbed to 215 and was likely to rise as whole families had disappeared. A total of 20,000 people were left homeless as their houses were reduced to rubble by the pre-dawn quake.

Reports from Ziarat said thousands of people spent the night in open as temperatures fell as low as minus six degrees Celsius in some areas. Rescuers put up tents for survivors but only 3,000 people could be accommodated in one relief camp.

Most of deaths were reported from Ziarat district, which was hit hardest by the quake as it was close to the epicentre. The bodies of about 140 victims were buried by rescuers and volunteers in Ziarat last night. Eight villages in the district were completely destroyed by the temblor.

More damage was caused in Ziarat and surrounding areas yesterday by several major aftershocks, the biggest of which measured 6.4 in the Richter scale. The aftershocks caused landslides in the mountains and sparked fresh panic.

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