At least five people were killed and dozens injured by the quake, and the area was also hit shortly after by two strong earthquakes of up to 6.3 degrees.
Tehran, Iran – At least five people have been killed and dozens more injured after at least three earthquakes with a preliminary magnitude of more than six that hit Hormozgan province in southern Iran.
Two of the strongest shocks were recorded with a magnitude of 6.3, but what caused all the casualties is believed to have been an initial earthquake of magnitude 6.1 at a depth of about 10 km (6.2 miles). ) below the surface that affected Saturday morning.
“All the victims died in the first earthquake and no one was injured in the next two serious earthquakes, as people were already out of their homes,” local official Foad Moradzadeh told state news agency IRNA. .
At least 30 aftershocks were heard in towns and cities near Bandar Abbas, local officials said, adding that tremors were also felt in neighboring UAE.
The quake caused thousands of people to take to the streets, where they spent the rest of the night. Many people still stay in the tents that local authorities and emergency services have set up.
Yaqoub Soleimani, secretary general of the local Red Crescent emergency aid service, told Iranian state media that search and rescue operations have ended and no more casualties are expected.
He said setting up cooling systems for those affected by the quakes is a challenge, as local temperatures reach 45 degrees Celsius.
Videos on social media and those broadcast on state television showed houses destroyed in several villages. Dozens of peoples also briefly lost power.
The southern provinces of Iran have recently suffered several powerful earthquakes, but casualties and damage have been limited. State television said 150 earthquakes and tremors had affected western Hormozgan in the past month.
Two strong earthquakes affected an area near the island of Qeshm, near Bandar Abbas, in November last year, and left one person dead.
In April last year, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake affected Bushehr, where a major nuclear power plant is located, but did not cause much damage.
In Kerman province, southeastern Iran, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake killed more than 31,000 people and crushed the ancient city of Bam in 2003.