Iran, toll from earthquake rises to 37 dead and over 800 injured
Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The toll from the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the city of Kaki yesterday now stands at 37 dead. The tremor struck just 96 km south-east of the nuclear power plant at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. There are currently 800 people injured in the earthquake that caused the collapse of many buildings in the area of the epicenter.
In the district of Shonbeh located at the epicenter the population is without electricity and drinking water. Shahpour Rostami, deputy governor of the province of Bushehr, said that rescue teams are dozens of games to reach the most affected areas. In these hours dozens of aftershocks were felt that could bring down damaged buildings. The quake was felt throughout the Persian Gulf, especially in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the authorities evacuated thousands of people from the tallest buildings.
Neighboring states are especially concerned about the conditions of the nuclear power plant opened in 2011. According to authorities, the reactors have not suffered damage and technicians have taken all the necessary precautions to secure the plant and sent data and information to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran is the only country with plants on its territory, which has not acceded to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which was negotiated after the Chernobyl disaster (Ukraine) in 1986. In recent years Tehran has always rejected the safety concerns about Bushehr - built in a highly seismic zone - which began operating in September 2011, after decades of delays.
The Islamic Republic is located on the major fault lines of the Asian continent and earthquakes, even devastating, are very frequent. In 2003, approximately 26 thousand people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake that flattened the historic city of Bam in the southeast of the country. In August 2012 two strong shock in northwestern Iran killed more than 300 people.
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07/02/2013
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