6.4 magnitude earthquake hits Iran

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

A large earthquake has hit Iran

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 hit Iran yesterday. The earthquake was centered around the southeastern town of Zarand, about 440 miles away from the capital, Tehran. Early reports indicate at least 40 villages with a combined population of 30,000 people have been damaged, with 420 deaths and slightly less than a thousand injured.

Earthquakes are nothing new to Iran, with one in the nearby desert city of Bam killing 31,000 people in December 2003. Heavy rain and bad visibility have made early relief efforts difficult; despite this some 1,500 members of the Iranian Red Crescent have begun organising camps for the newly homeless.

Sources