Devastating earthquake in Iran

7.8 magnitude earthquake in Iran The earthquake 'was also felt in Qatar, India and Pakistan. The quake was recorded near the city Khash, with more than 50,000 inhabitants, on the border between Iran and Pakistan. "It 'was the most powerful earthquake to hit Iran for 40 years now and we expect hundreds of victims, " said an Iranian government official who wished to remain anonymous. In 2003, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 caused 31 thousand deaths in Iran.

The provisional toll of victims is at least 81 deaths and thousands of collapsed buildings. 'm 34 victims of the strong earthquake in Pakistan, as the authorities announced in Islamabad.

The USGS has set a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Iran on the border with Pakistan. The epicenter was located about 86 km from the city of Khash and 81 km from Saravan, both with more than 50,000 inhabitants, and 167 km from Iranshahr, which instead has a population of nearly 100,000. The affected area "is a rural area, with most of the houses built with mud bricks .

The city of Hiduch in southeastern Iran, inhabited by thousands of people, "has been completely destroyed" by the earthquake that hit the area. The Guardian writes, citing Iranian sources.

The area on the border between Iran and Pakistan is known to be highly seismic because it is the crossroads of four major tectonic plates (the Arabian, the Eurasian, Indiana and African), plus the small plate of Anatolia. The entity to monitor the U.S. Geological Survey, the USGS, notes that the tangible sign of the intense activity of plaques in this area is the shape of mountains, which results from the compression movements. The thrust exerted by the earthquake in the affected area today is mainly due to 'encounter between the Eurasian plate, the African and the Iranian.

The Russian company manufacturer of the Bushehr nuclear power plant says that the plant did not suffer any damage from the devastating earthquake that shook the south-eastern Iran. The office is located on the opposite side, overlooking the Gulf, where the earthquake was also felt heavily.

The strong earthquake was also felt directly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Unlike tremors received during the earthquake of April 9, this time the telluric waves have also visibly shook the lower floors of the buildings. Residents and students skyscrapers and hundreds of schools have poured into the streets and courtyards. "I saw the walls shaking and I rushed to the street. First, however, I spotted several neighbors as possible to follow," he told ANSA his voice trembling Rosa D'amico, for thirty years a resident of Abu Dhabi. At the moment there is no victim or damage to the UAE. The epicenter of the quake, with a magnitude of 7.8 has been located at a depth of 100km over the border between Iran and Pakistan.

The quake was also felt in New Delhi and in the satellite city of Gurgaon. tremors have triggered panic among residents of the upper floors of the buildings that have escaped into the street.But for now, there were no casualties or damage to homes, according to Ibn-CNN television reported that interrupted programming to follow the event live. The earthquake shook the ground in Gujarat, Punjab and the Himalayan valley of Kashmir, which was hit by a strong earthquake in 2005. The quake, having a magnitude of 7.8 degrees, was also felt in the cities of Pakistan. The televisions show the people in the street, but according to local media there were no reports of any crashes

Just a week ago, an earthquake measuring 6.1 Richter struck the province of Bushehr killing at least 39 people were killed and about 850 injured according to the budget of Fars. Also according to the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the quake but had not caused any damage to the only nuclear power plant in Iran, the one that stands in the area. Iran is a country highly seismic: as early as August last year there had been an earthquake with 306 dead and about 4,500 injured in Tabriz, in the northwest. The earthquake that struck in December 2003, the ancient city of Bam, with its mud houses, caused 31,000 deaths and even more tragic was the earthquake of June 1990, once again in the north-west, which made ​​about 37 thousand victims and more than 100,000 injured in the provinces of Gilan and Zanjan.