7.8 Earthquake near Iran-Pakistan border kills 40
A major earthquake hit a region near the Iran-Pakistan border today, reportedly killing at least 40 people in the second deadly quake in the area in less than a week.
The state television network in Iran, Press TV, is reporting 40 killed in the latest quake, which hit less than a week after a quake in Iran killed at least 37 people.
The country’s seismological centre has pegged Tuesday’s earthquake at a magnitude 7.5, and said it was centred near Saravan, a sparsely populated area about 48 kilometres from the Pakistani border.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 7.8 and at a depth of 15.2 kilometres.
The quake was felt as far away as New Delhi, and the Gulf cities of Dubai and Bahrain.
Across the Gulf, highrise buildings swayed and officials ordered evacuations. Dubai has the world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre Burj Khalifa.
Last week’s 6.1-magnitude quake hit about 96 kilometres southeast of Bushehr, the site of Iran’s reactor.