Iran: 37 killed in earthquake
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The
report said the earthquake struck the town of Kaki some 96 kilometres
southeast of Bushehr, a town on the Persian Gulf that is home of Iran's
first nuclear power plant, built with Russian help.
"No
damage was done to Bushehr power plant," Bushehr provincial governor
Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 37 people had died so far and
850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalised.
The
plant's chief, Mahmoud Jafari, confirmed the site's condition to
semi-official Mehr news agency, saying that it is resistant to
earthquakes of up to magnitude eight.
Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.
The UN's nuclear watchdog agency said on its website that it had been informed by Iran
that there was no damage to the plant and no radioactive release and,
based on its analysis of the earthquake, was not seeking additional
information.
The International Atomic Energy Agency statement indicated that it was satisfied there was little danger.
Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh.
Three helicopters
were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad
Mozaffar, the head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue department.
He said damage was
particularly bad in the village of Baghan. Kaki resident Mondani
Hosseini said people had run out into the streets out of fear.
Dozens
of aftershocks have been reported by the official IRNA news agency
since the earthquake, which occurred at 16:22 local time, 1728 IST. Iran announced three days of mourning.
The quake was felt
across the Gulf in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where
workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.
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