Dozens killed as quake jolts area near Iran nuke plant
6.1 magnitude quake hits near Bushehr; company that built plant says operation unaffected
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state TV reported that a 6.1 magnitude earthquake has jolted a town in the country’s south, killing over 30 people, state-run media reported.
The earthquake struck the town of Kaki, some 80 kilometers southeast of Bushehr, the home of Iran’s first nuclear power plant, according to Iranian media.
“No damage was done to Bushehr power plant,” Bushehr provincial governor Fereidoun Hasanvand told state TV. He said 32 people died and 850 were injured, including 100 who were hospitalized.
Water and electricity were cut to many residents, said Ebrahim Darvishi, governor of the worst-hit district Shonbeh.
Shahpour Rostami, the deputy governor of Bushehr province, told state TV that rescue teams have been deployed to Shonbeh.
hree helicopters were sent to survey the damaged area before sunset, said Mohammad Mozaffar, the head of Iran’s Red Crescent rescue department.
Kaki resident Mondani Hosseini told The Associated Press that people had run out into the streets out of fear.
Iran announced three days of mourning.
Two cities near the plant, Shanbe and Sana, suffered serious damage, a Red Crescent official said, according to Sky News.
[mappress mapid=”3732″]
The quake was felt across the Gulf in Bahrain and Qatar, where workers were evacuated from high-rise buildings as a precaution.
Earlier on Sunday a lighter earthquake jolted Khormooj. Iran is located on seismic faults and it experiences daily light earthquakes.
In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.
The Times of Israel Community.