Earthquake rocks southern Iran, 7 dead

Tehran: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Iran today which left at least seven people dead and hundreds injured, state television said on its website.

It said the quake struck the town of Hosseinabad in Kerman province at 10:12 pm (23:72 IST). Hosseinabad lies near the city of Bam, the site of the deadliest earthquake to hit Iran in recent times.

The local Governor Ismael Najar said that based on initial observations from aid teams reporting back to his office, the casualties were mainly in the villages of Chah Qanbar, Tak Seyfeldini and Sarze Rigan.

Mr. Najar added that with some residents still buried under debris in the three villages, the death toll was feared to increase.

The 6.3-magnitude temblor in December 2003 killed 31,000 people — about a quarter of Bam’s population – and destroyed the city’s ancient mud-built citadel.

Iran sits astride several major fault lines in the earth’s crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.