The federal government has decided to maintain the existing prices of petroleum products until further orders, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) on Friday.

Under the revised pricing effective from June 27, there will be no increase or decrease in the prices of either petrol or high-speed diesel.

The price of Motor Spirit (petrol) will remain unchanged at Rs299.50 per litre, while High Speed Diesel (HSD) will continue to be sold at Rs311.47 per litre.

PESHAWAR: Security forces killed at least seven terrorists in an operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu on Friday, security sources said.

Bannu district has been the scene of repeated security incidents in recent months, with both civilians and local security forces coming under attack amid a broader surge in militant violence.

Security sources stated that their forces carried out a successful operation in the Ghora Baka Khel area of Baka Khel tehsil, targeting a suspected vehicle reportedly loaded with weapons and explosive materials.

According to the sources, the forces received credible information about the suspicious movement of terrorists. Acting swiftly on the intelligence, they targeted the suspected vehicle, parked near a government school, using a quadcopter.

The vehicle was carrying a heavy cache of weapons, including a 12.7-millimetre machine gun, RPGs, and mortar shells.

The explosion completely destroyed the vehicle, and initial reports suggest that all “seven to eight” terrorists inside the vehicle were killed on the spot, the security sources added.

“A search and clearance operation is currently underway in the area due to possible security threats, while further investigations are also in progress,” they added.

On Wednesday, terrorists dropped two explosive devices on the premises of Haved police station using a quadcopter, as a result of which two Frontier Corps personnel sustained minor injuries.

Earlier this month, an alleged militant commander and two other people were killed in separate incidents in the district, while militants also attempted to blow up a key link bridge, local sources said.

Last month, at least two police personnel and as many civilians were martyred, while 25 terrorists were killed in a fierce clash between law enforcers, a peace committee and terrorists.

Foreign rescue teams and aid were arriving on Friday in Venezuela nearly two days after devastating twin earthquakes flattened areas in and around the capital Caracas, forcing residents to dig through rubble to save relatives, friends and neighbours.

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez said the death toll was now at 589, a number that is likely to “rise significantly,” according to UN aid chief Tom Fletcher. The government has also confirmed 2,980 injuries till now.

A website set up to take reports of people still unaccounted for had 50,000 listed as of Friday morning.

The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors, two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America’s modern history, struck about 160 kilometres west of Caracas on Wednesday evening as Venezuelans were enjoying a public holiday.

The US Geological Survey has predicted more than 10,000 deaths.

The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who took power after the United States arrested her predecessor in a January raid, has pledged a massive deployment of assistance.

Yet help was patchy on Thursday, with authorities like firefighters, police, civil protection and the military on the streets in some places but absent or with minimal presence in others.

La Guaira, a coastal city just outside Caracas, was the worst affected, as at least 100 buildings, including high-rise apartments, were smashed to the ground.

Anguished residents, many of whom combed through debris with their hands or whatever tools they could find, decried a lack of state help and proper equipment, though state television showed images of Rodriguez making an afternoon visit and pledging aid.

“He’s under the slabs and there’s no machinery to get him out,” said Yamileth Jimenez of her 19-year-old son, who was stuck in debris of their seven-storey apartment building.

Beyond those combing through the rubble, Venezuelans have also stepped up to provide ad-hoc aid to earthquake victims, with motorcycle caravans of supplies reaching La Guaira on Thursday evening from Caracas.

Dozens also travelled by motorcycle through the night from the city of Valencia, carrying food and supplies.

World rallies

Foreign rescue teams — including some from countries which have opposed Venezuela during decades of international isolation, political repression and economic deterioration — began arriving late on Thursday, with a small contingent from the Dominican Republic the first to reach La Guaira.

Mexico has sent 250 rescuers, El Salvador 188 and Spain nearly 100, and a Colombian air force plane carrying 63 rescue crew was on its way on Friday morning.

Switzerland and Germany have also sent rescue crews and many of the teams bring with them search dogs, sound equipment and specialized gear.

The US has said it is mobilising $150 million in aid, while other countries like Colombia, Switzerland and El Salvador are also sending equipment and supplies.

Washington eased long-time sanctions on the socialist country to allow earthquake aid that would otherwise be prohibited and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would send rescue teams and the Pentagon would help support Caracas’ damaged airport.

Rodriguez on Friday morning thanked countries for their support and said foreign teams were distributed among different areas.

The quake hit a nation already weakened by decades of economic and political turmoil that has impoverished residents, triggered a migratory exodus of millions and eroded basic infrastructure and services.

“My building is uninhabitable and now I have nothing. It’s just me and my son, and I have no family in the country,” said Suhayl Sarquiz, 50, who lost her job a few months ago.

Nearly seven million people could be affected, said the UN’s migration body, which was supplying emergency shelter and other relief supplies.

“We lost everything,” said Pedro Perez, 64, an upholstery workshop owner who said he had lost both his home and business and was sleeping on the street on Thursday night with his wife and children.

“We hope help arrives quickly.”

Near the epicenter in Moron, a seaside town in Carabobo state, houses crumpled and residents had no water or electricity.

Families salvaged what they could, including mattresses, televisions and washing machines.

In the vital oil sector of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ member, foreign energy companies said their operations had not suffered major disruption and oil infrastructure appeared largely spared.

The Caracas Stock Exchange remained closed, turned into an aid collection centre.

Until now, the deadliest quake in Venezuela’s modern history had been in 1967, killing 240 people.

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Balochistan on Friday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

In a press release, the PMD said the quake’s epicentre was 60 kilometres northeast of Kohlu and that it was felt in the Zhob, Barkhan and Rakhni areas.

PMD further said that the quake occurred at 4:48pm at a depth of 17km.

Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a 5.2 magnitude quake was recorded north-northeast of Barkhan, at a depth of 10km.

Earlier this week, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Islamabad on Monday.

According to the PMD, the earthquake was recorded at 3:22pm at a depth of 215km with the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan as its epicentre.

It was felt in Peshawar, Islamabad, Mansehra, Swat, Battagram, Abbottabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, Multan and Potohar region, among other areas.

Last month, at least one person was killed and 11 others were injured after several houses were seriously damaged following a reported earthquake in Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan tehsil, the area administration said.

According to a press release issued by the PMD, an earthquake measuring 4.8 struck the region.

Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The intersection of multiple fault lines means that tectonic movements remain a frequent occurrence in the region.