Strong quake in Iran leaves 260 injured
By Sara Rajabova
A powerful earthquake has jolted Iran leaving at least 260 persons injured in three provinces.
The Iranian Seismological Center said the quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale hit two western provinces of Ilam and Lorestan as well as Khuzestan province in the southwest of the country in early morning on August 18, Iranian media reported.
Its epicenter was located in Murmori, Ilam province, at 32.7 degrees north latitude and 47.7 degrees east longitude.
Ilam Governor-General Mohammad Reza Morvarid said relief teams were dispatched to the areas to help the victims.
Ahmad Karami, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Organization said that the health condition of thirteen of the injured is critical.
The quake destroyed telecommunications department in the city of Abdanan making it impossible to estimate the amount of damages inflicted on the city's rural areas.
Governor of Abdanan Majid Asgari said rural areas suffered heavy damages by the strong quake, adding that some villages were totally destroyed.
Over 70 percent of the infrastructures in city of Mormouri were damaged according to Askari.
Also on the same day, another earthquake registering 3.6 on the Richter scale hit areas between the northern province of Gilan and the northwestern province of Ardebil.
Water, electricity and communication lines were cut in the region as a result of the earthquake which was also felt in neighboring provinces.
Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.
The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale.
About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the north-western provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated around 27 towns and 1,870 villages.