Tehran, July 11: One villager was killed and 20 injured in southern Iran late yesterday by two successive earthquakes measuring 5.6 and 5.8 on the Richter Scale, the state-owned news agency quoted a local official as saying. The governor of the southern city of Zarindasht, Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi was today quoted as saying hat the quakes struck the villages of Dareh Shur, Deheh No, Debehran, Darva and Shahre Pir, all located in Fars province, approximately 800 kms south of Tehran.
"One villager was killed and 20 others were injured," Mousavi said. "Electric power, phone lines and water supply of all those villages are badly damaged and the police station of Debehran was also demolished," he added.
Officials from Tehran's seismological institute said the first quake struck at 9:36 pm (2236 IST) yesterday, and the second at 10:12 pm (2322 IST). National television said the first quake lasted 12 seconds and cut off electricity supplies to the area, while state radio said rescue teams were working in the area into the early hours today.
It also quoted another provincial official as saying the "number of dead is not very high". Bureau Report