Dozens dead as quake hits Iran and Pakistan

Rescue teams were on their way to remote border regions between Iran and Pakistan last night after a powerful earthquake struck.

Although tremors were felt across the Gulf region, Pakistan and well into northwest India after the quake happened at 3.14pm (10.44am Irish time), authorities said there were limited casualties.

However, it was the biggest earthquake in Iran for 40 years and there were fears of huge casualties yet to be reported. A Pakistani military official said 34 people had been killed and 80 injured in the town of Mashkal.

The US Geological Survey said it had measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.8 and gave its location at 50 miles eastsoutheast of Khash, in Iran. Although the area is largely desert and mountains, there are several major cities, including Zahedan, 125 miles away, which has more than half a million inhabitants.

One Iranian said that Hiduj, which had a population of about 1,000 according to a 2006 census, had been badly damaged. The Iranian news agency Fars quoted Tehran University’s geophysics centre as saying the quake had hit the southeastern city of Saravan in Sistan and Baluchistan province at 3.14pm and initially reported that it had killed at least 40 people.

However, TV stations later downgraded their estimate to “several feared dead”.

– ( Guardian service)