A powerful earthquake measuring at least 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Qeshim island off Iran's southern coast, killing at least ten people and damaging four villages.| Only ten? Tell Halliburton the machine needs calibrated... |
State television said the tremor struck at 1:30pm (1000 GMT) and was centred close to the Qeshim Island near Bandar Abbas city. Heidar Alishvandi, the governor of Qeshm Island, was quoted by state-run television as saying that rescue teams were deployed to the affected areas. The US Geological Survey said it was of 6.1 magnitude, some 58 km (36 miles) southwest of Bandar Abbas and struck at 1.52pm (1022 GMT). The official news agency IRNA said the epicentre of the quake was near the Gulf island of Qeshm, around 35 kilometres from the port city of Bandar Abbas. The island is home to some 120,000 people. Tremors were also felt also in the neighbouring states of the United Arab Emirates and Oman.