7.5-magnitude quake jolts SE Iran

7.5-magnitude quake jolts SE Iran
Tue Apr 16, 2013 16:04:16

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.

 

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.

 

According to Press TV correspondent, several are feared dead and 100 others injured in Pakistan’s Balochistan province near Iran border.

 

Officials and local sources told Press TV that several houses were destroyed due to earthquake in Panjgur District near Iran border on Tuesday.

 

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

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