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State media: Quake injures 700 in southern Iran
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-05 08:43

TEHERAN: An earthquake struck a key port city in southern Iran early yesterday, injuring at least 700 people and cutting power and telephone lines, the state news agency reported.

IRNA said 100 of the injured had been hospitalized while the rest were minor cases.

The 4.9-magnitude quake struck Bandar Abbas just before 3 am local time, sending residents streaming into the streets. Bandar Abbas is home to a large oil refinery that primarily serves the domestic market.

The broadcast said there were no reports of deaths in the quake, which hit 1,367 km south of the capital. Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one slight earthquake everyday on average.

Almost 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6-magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in the same region in 2003.

AP

(China Daily 11/05/2009 page12)