7.5 magnitude earthquake hits South Eastern Iran

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A 7.5 magnitude earthquake has rocked Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan near the border with Pakistan.


The Iranian Seismological Center (IRSC) said the epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 15:14 local time at a depth of 18 kilometers on Tuesday, was situated 95 kilometers north of the city of Saravan.

The quake, unprecedented in the past 50 years, prompted officials to declare a state of emergency in the region.

Assessment and evaluation teams as well as rescue teams from the Iranian Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the quake-stricken area, which is a sparsely populated rural area between the provincial cities of Saravan and Khash.

According to local officials, the Tuesday earthquake has caused no casualties in the quake-stricken areas. The Fars News Agency had earlier reported that 40 people had died as a result of the quake.

The tremor was powerful enough to be felt as far away as New Delhi, India, where it rocked tall buildings.

It was also felt in the Persian Gulf's littoral states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.


One confirmed dead in Iran quake

One person has so far been confirmed dead in Iran, while 34 lost their lives in southwestern Pakistan. The Fars news agency had earlier reported that 40 people had died as a result of the quake.

Saifur Rehman from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority in Quetta, Pakistan's Balochistan province, reported the death toll in the remote area of Mashkail in Washuk district, adding that more than 200 others were also injured after more than 1,000 mud homes in the area were damaged.


Magnitude 4.4 aftershock rocks Saravan in southeast Iran

A 4.4 magnitude aftershock has jolted the southeastern Iranian city of Saravan, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, following a 7.5 quake in the region.

The mild aftershock on Tuesday did not cause any casualties or damage.

A spokesman for the Russian contractor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant said the quake has not affected the nuclear station.

Iran is prone to quakes as it is crisscrossed by several fault lines.

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