Two strong earthquakes hit southern Iran, killing one person

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Tehran, Iran (AFP) – At least one person has been killed after two powerful earthquakes hit Iran’s southern province of Hormozgan, state television reported on Sunday.

State television quoted Bandar Abbas Governor Azizullah Konari as saying that a 22-year-old man died when an electric pole fell on his head as a result of the earthquake.

The Iranian Seismological Center said that the earthquakes hit the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz mid-afternoon, about a thousand kilometers south of the Iranian capital, Tehran. It said its magnitudes were 6.4 and 6.3 and that the strongest earthquake occurred at a depth of 18 kilometers (about 11 miles).

The epicenter was located about 60 kilometers (about 36 miles) southwest of Bandar Abbas port in Hormozgan province.

The USGS report identified the earthquakes with magnitudes 6 and 6.3.

Several aftershocks, with a magnitude of 4.5, hit the area.

The fear of the earthquake led the frightened residents to take to the streets.

State television said the quake was felt in Kerman and Fars provinces, in northern Hormozgan province.

“We are not asking people to stay at home because of the number of aftershocks,” Hormozgan Governor Mehdi Doosti said.

Dosti added that the police provide security for those who stay away from their homes.

State television said that the number of injured rose to 47. 39 of them were discharged, but 7 were taken to hospital.

A spokesman for the country’s emergency department, Mojtaba Khalidi, called on people to be careful for at least two days.

The report stated that President Ibrahim Raisi ordered his first deputy, Muhammad Mokhber, to visit Hormozgan province as soon as possible.

Raisi also urged all responsible authorities to take care of the people who were injured and damaged.

The report said assessment teams were deployed to analyze the situation.

Iranian social media posted pictures of earthquake damage, including a wall that collapsed in a car.

Iran lies on large seismic faults and experiences an average of one earthquake per day. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. A magnitude 7 earthquake struck western Iran in 2017, killing more than 600 people and injuring more than 9,000.

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