Second quake hits southern Iran within a week

QUAKE IMPACT: A family surveys the damage in their village in southern Iran. (AFP)

A strong earthquake jolted a major port city on the Gulf coast of southern Iran on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported, the second to strike in a week.

The five-magnitude quake hit at 9:13pm (Dubai time) west of the port of Bandar Abbas near Bandar Khamir, IRNA said, adding that frightened Bandar Abbas residents had rushed out into the streets.

"No damage has been reported yet and experts are following the matter," said Yaser Hezbavi, a local natural disasters management official.

IRNA said a second quake jolted Qeshm island off the coast from Bandar Abbas - which is home to an oil refinery and the country's main naval base - without specifying its magnitude.

"The electricity is cut off in Qeshm and people are in the streets," it said.

Last Wednesday a 6.1 magnitude quake hit Qeshm, a popular tourist and free trade island which lies in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing seven people and injuring 47.

Strong tremors were felt in the UAE, forcing many high-rise towers to be evacuated in Dubai.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst in recent times hit the southern city of Bam in December 2003, killing 31,000 people - about a quarter of its population - and destroying the city's ancient mud-built citadel.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM