Big quake hits S Iran, 4 dead
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A POWERFUL earthquake jolted southern Iran yesterday, killing four people on an island in strategic Gulf waters and destroying some buildings, officials and news reports said.
The US Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude quake hit at 11am about 53km southwest of the port of Bandar Abbas, which is home to an oil refinery and the country's main naval base.
"So far, four people have been killed and 26 people have been injured," the head of the country's emergency services, Abbas Hassani, was quoted as saying by state television.
The deaths occurred on Qeshm island, which lies just of the Gulf coast from Bandar Abbas in the strategic oil route of the Strait of Hormuz.
"So far we have been conducting rescue operations in about seven villages and we have no estimate of the damage," the television quoted head of the rescue mission of Iran's Red Crescent, Ahmad Esfandiari, as saying.
However, it was not immediately known if any oil facilities in the area were damaged or whether operations had been halted.
The television said the tremor lasted about 30 seconds but was followed by at least 10 aftershocks, the most powerful measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale.
Yaser Hazbavi, the provincial head of the national disasters office, told the television there was some damage on Qeshm and power cuts on some parts of the island, which is more than twice the size of neighbouring Bahrain and is home to about 100,000 people.
"A Red Crescent crew is in the area inspecting the situation," he said. The tremor was felt in Bandar Abbas, which is capital of Hormozgan province, and further afield, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.AFP
The US Geological Survey said the 6.1 magnitude quake hit at 11am about 53km southwest of the port of Bandar Abbas, which is home to an oil refinery and the country's main naval base.
"So far, four people have been killed and 26 people have been injured," the head of the country's emergency services, Abbas Hassani, was quoted as saying by state television.
The deaths occurred on Qeshm island, which lies just of the Gulf coast from Bandar Abbas in the strategic oil route of the Strait of Hormuz.
"So far we have been conducting rescue operations in about seven villages and we have no estimate of the damage," the television quoted head of the rescue mission of Iran's Red Crescent, Ahmad Esfandiari, as saying.
However, it was not immediately known if any oil facilities in the area were damaged or whether operations had been halted.
The television said the tremor lasted about 30 seconds but was followed by at least 10 aftershocks, the most powerful measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale.
Yaser Hazbavi, the provincial head of the national disasters office, told the television there was some damage on Qeshm and power cuts on some parts of the island, which is more than twice the size of neighbouring Bahrain and is home to about 100,000 people.
"A Red Crescent crew is in the area inspecting the situation," he said. The tremor was felt in Bandar Abbas, which is capital of Hormozgan province, and further afield, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.AFP
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