Earthquake near Iranian nuclear plant, 30 people died

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the city of Bushehr, leaving at least 30 people dead, but the city's nuclear power plant was unharmed.

AFP quoted from the Iranian Seismological Center said that the earthquake occurred at 16h22 local time, at a depth of 12km. The epicenter is located in the Khaki region, about 90km from Bushehr to the southeast.

Location of earthquakes in Iran (golden circle). (Graphic: myforecast)

The US Geological Survey has measured an earthquake intensity of 6.3 on the Richter scale. Shakes can be felt throughout the Gulf, in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, causing panic in some office buildings.

After the earthquake there are 6 aftershocks, of which the strongest is 5.3 Richter. There were 500 people injured.

At least 30 bodies were transferred to the morgue in the city of Khormoj, the IRNA news agency quoted a hospital official. Khormoj, located east of Bushehr, is 35 km from the epicenter of Kaki. Earthquakes also left about 800 people injured.

Fortunately, seismic damage does not cause any damage to the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Iranian media said the search and rescue teams were deployed to the area. Phone communication has been cut off.

The chairman of the Iranian Red Crescent Rescue Organization, Mr. Mahmoud Mozafar, said there was a high probability of damage due to the area where the earthquake occurred, which was home to about 12,000 people.

Iran is located in a geographic location must regularly suffer from earthquakes. Two earthquakes of 6.2 on the Richter scale and six on the Richter scale in August last year attacked northwestern Iran, killing more than 300 people and injuring 3,000 people.

Earlier, in December 2010, a strong earthquake struck the southern city of Bam, killing 31,000 people, about a quarter of the city's population.