Death toll from quake in eastern Iran rises to 6

USPA News - The death toll from a moderate earthquake which struck rural eastern Iran on Wednesday evening has risen to at least six, an emergency official told a state-run news agency on Thursday. The tremors left thousands of people homeless in nearby villages.

The 5.5-magnitude earthquake at 8:38 p.m. local time (1708 GMT) on Wednesday was centered about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the city of Zohan in South Khorasan province. It struck about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to Iran`s Seismological Center. Ali Akhoondi, the head of the Crisis Management Headquarters in South Khorasan province, told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that at least six people were killed while fourteen others were injured. Some media reports put the death toll at eight, but those figures were not immediately confirmed. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), which measured the strength of the earthquake at 5.6 on the moment magnitude scale, estimated that approximately 92,000 people living near the epicenter may have felt strong to moderate shaking. Another 506,000 people may have felt light shaking. Local officials said the earthquake, centered approximately 95 kilometers (59 miles) west of the border with Afghanistan, destroyed five villages and damaged at least 11 others. Iran`s Red Crescent Society said it was providing supplies and emergency accommodation for more than 4,900 people who were left homeless by the quake. Earthquakes, even those which have a low or moderate magnitude, often cause heavy damage and large numbers of casualties in certain parts of the country due to poor construction. Tremors which strike during the night are especially deadly when most residents are sleeping. Less than four months ago, at least 306 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured when a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from the city of Ahar in East Azerbaijan Province. It was estimated that more than 5,000 buildings were seriously damaged. And in December 2010, at least seven people were killed and hundreds more were injured when a strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) from the town of Hosein abad in Kerman Province, located in southeastern Iran. It followed a 5.9-magnitude earthquake in August 2010 which killed two young children. Before that, in November 2009, a light 4.9-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, injuring more than 700 people. In December 2003, around 31,000 people were killed and more than 30,000 others were injured when a strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Bam. It left the area devastated with 85 percent of buildings damaged or destroyed in the city.