A magnitude 6.1 earthquake kills at least five people in the Gulf of Iran

Dubai — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck southern Iran early Saturday, killing at least five people and injuring 49, state media reported.

Following a 2:00 am local time earthquake that flattened the village of Sayeh Khosh near the Gulf of Iran in Hormozgan Province, two 24 quakes of magnitude 6.3 and 6.1 occurred. Authorities told state television that the recent tremor occurred around 8 am.

Foad Moradzadeh, Governor of Bandarelenge, said, “All victims were killed in the first earthquake and no victims in the next two severe earthquakes,” according to state news agency IRNA.

Paramedic spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi told state television that half of the 49 injured were discharged from the hospital.

Authorities said the search and rescue operation had ended.

Saeid Pourzadeh of the Kish Island Crisis Task Force said that sea shipping and flight in the Gulf were unaffected by the earthquake.

According to state television, 150 earthquakes and tremors have hit western Hormozgan in the past month.

Major geological fault lines cross Iran, which has been hit by several catastrophic earthquakes in recent years. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Kerman Province, killing 31,000 people and flattening the ancient city of Bam.

follow