Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) – A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the district Ahl last night, between the two provinces of Fars and Hormuzgan. According to state television the area is not inhabited and so far there are no reports of any dead, but the Red Crescent said there are at least 15 wounded. In four villages near the town of Lamerd, at least 30% of houses have collapsed.
IRNA news agency reported that the tremors were two: one at 0:08 in Ahl, about a thousand kilometres from Tehran, the second 12 minutes later. The quake had its epicentre at a depth of 9 km and also touched on the island of Kish in the Gulf.
In late 2003, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake killed 30 thousand people in Bam, in the south of the country, killing nearly a quarter of the population of the city.