TEHRAN (Iran) — A magnitude-6.1 earthquake that struck southern Iran on Saturday left at least five people dead and 49 others injured, according to state television. It was followed by two powerful quakes of upto 6.3 magnitude.
There were 24 tremors that occurred after the 2 a.m. local earthquake that flattened Sayeh Khosh, an Iranian village near the Persian Gulf coast, in Hormozgan provincial. According to state television, the most recent tremor took place at 8 a.m.
According to the report, rescue teams were deployed close to Sayeh Khosh village (epidecenter), which is home for around 300 people in Hormozgan provincial, some 620 miles from Tehran.
Foad Moradzadeh (governor of Bandar Lengeh), was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying, “All the victims died in that earthquake. No-one was hurt in the subsequent two severe quakes because people were already out of their homes.”
Aftershocks continued to rock the area following the early morning earthquake, which also caused damage to buildings and infrastructure. People took refuge in the streets.
Mojtaba Khaledi, spokesperson for emergency services, stated that 49 of those injured were discharged from hospitals.
According to the report, the earthquake was felt in many countries nearby. Officials stated that search and rescue operations were over.
In recent weeks, the area has experienced several moderate earthquakes. Two magnitude-6.4 and magnitude-6.3 earthquakes in November resulted in the death of one man.
