Posted: 2/22/2005 1:18:08 AM EDT
Oh dear, first a mosque burns down, now this! terrible, just terrible… ANdy At least 126 killed as powerful quake hits central Iran TEHRAN, FEB 22 (AP) A powerful earthquake shook central Iran today, destroying villages, killing at least 126 people and injuring more than 500, state-run television reported. The epicentre of the 6.4-magnitude quake, which struck at 5. 55 AM local time, was 35 miles north-west of Kerman, the capital of Kerman province, the US Geological Survey reported. "The death toll now stands at 126. More than 500 people have also been injured," Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh told the television. Kerman provincial governor Mohammad Ali Karimi was quoted by Iranian state television as saying that "several villages have been destroyed" by the earthquake. The station showed a village almost razed to the ground with few mud-built walls standing. It said that in several villages rescuers were trying to pull out people buried under rubble. Rain was reportedly hampering rescue efforts "All hospitals in Zarand are filled to capacity with the injured. Hospitals in the town cannot receive any more of the injured," the broadcast said. The villages of Hotkan, Khanook Motaharabad and Islamabad were the worst hit villages, it said. The television quoted the governor of Zarand, identified only as Rashidi, as saying that power in the region has been disrupted. He said medical and other supplies were needed, especially medicine, syringes and tents. A provincial official said there was still no accurate picture of the depth of the catastrophe but said the quake was not as bad as a killer quake that hit a nearby region in December 2003. www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=281346 |