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Strong earthquake strikes southern Iran, destroyed villages
A strong earthquake measured at magnitude 6.1 Wednesday demolished nearly 200 villages in Iran, leaving at least one person dead, local media reported.
The hit villages in Iran’s Hormozgan Province, according to Iran’s Press TV, citing the head of the provincial disaster management headquarters, Yasser Hazbavi.
At least three people were killed and 22 others were injured, Hazbavi told Press TV.
People panicked and fled buildings when the quake struck in the quake-prone region around 1100 GMT, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. It also knocked out power to the region.
The epicenter was located about 55 km (35 miles) west-southwest of Bandar e-Abbas, Iran — which is just across the narrow Strait of Hormuz from the United Arab Emirates — according to U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake shook nearby Dubai, where CNN staff members said they felt the building they were in shake for about 15 to 20 seconds.
“From my office window at the Dubai Media City where all foreign media are located, I can see that a lot of offices have evacuated buildings,” CNN Dubai Bureau Chief Samson Desta said.
“I can see up to perhaps 200 people who have taken refuge out in the streets, causing somewhat of a traffic jam.”
There was no evidence of any damage in Dubai, where there are a lot of high-rise buildings.
Iran lies on a series of seismic fault lines and has experienced devastating earthquakes — most notably in December, 2003 when a 6.6 magnitude quake devastated the ancient city of Bam in southeast Iran, killing at least 30,000 people. Subscribe=>
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