'The death toll may be 300 or even more,' Baluchistan provincial government Revenue Minister Zamarak Khan told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

'We have reports that dozens of people died in villages. The family members in most cases did not move the bodies to hospitals, so there is no official record of these casualties.'

Mr Khan said earlier that he had been told that at least 215 people died in the quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, which struck early on Wednesday morning north of the provincial capital Quetta.

Most of the victims were in outlying villages. Their mud-brick houses were flattened as they slept.

Mr Ayub Kakar, district health officer of Ziarat district, told AFP the toll was already at more than 300.

Several aftershocks have been felt in the area and more are forecast over the next few days, Mr Farooq Ahmed, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, said yesterday.

He said the government was setting up camps with 2,000 tents for people left homeless by the quake.

Twelve army helicopters are being used in the relief effort and thousands of blankets, jackets, plastic mats and other supplies are being flown into the area by plane.

The World Health Organisation said it was sending two truckloads of medicine and supplies to the affected areas to support 50,000 people for three months. It said at least 20,000 people were displaced from their homes.

The United States and China have offered US$1 million (S$1.5 million) each, and Japan, Turkey and nuclear-

armed rival India have also offered assistance, according to Mr Farooq.

He added that foreign aid would be accepted even though the government had not officially appealed for assistance.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG