Up to 500 dead in Iran quake

2005-02-22 13:40

Tehran - The death toll from the powerful earthquake that rocked Iran earlier on Tuesday, is currently at 500.

The BBC reported that state-run television in Iran and the local governor's office in Kerman put the death toll in the earthquake, which lasted 11 seconds, at more than 500.

Officially, at least 230 bodies have been found, while 600 people were injured in the powerful earthquake.

Local government spokesperson Ali Komsari said at least 220 people had been found dead in Zarand which suffered the most damage from the quake, and another 11 in other districts.

The worst hit village appeared to be Dahuyeh, which has a population of 820 and was "destroyed 100%", according to Ali Komsari, a spokesperson for the local government in Kerman province.

Some villages not reached

"But many villages have still not been reached by the rescue services, and we think therefore that the toll could go a lot higher," he told state radio.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 6.4 on the open-ended Richter scale and was centred on a point 60km northwest of the city of Kerman.

Mohsen Salehi, an official with the natural disasters service in Kerman province said five villages in the region suffered 20 to 70% damage, and at least one village was completely cut off due to blocked roads. Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to violent earthquakes. The region hit on Tuesday is about 200km northwest of the ancient city of Bam, where more than 30 000 people were killed when a quake measuring 6.7 points practically razed the city in December 2003. - AFP

- SAPA