TEHRAN, April 16 (UPI) — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rumbled along the Iran-Pakistan border Tuesday, killing at least 34 people in Pakistan and injuring 80 others, officials said.
Officials initially said at least 40 people were killed in southeastern Iran, the government-backed Press TV reported, but Balochistan Governor-General Hatam Narouie later denied anyone had died, CNN reported. He said telephone lines were working again and water and electricity were normal.
The quake, about 9 miles deep, was centered about 53 miles east-southeast of Khash, Iran, 146 miles south-southwest of Rudbar, Afghanistan, and 373 miles northeast of Muscat, Oman, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
About 2 million people live in the region hit hardest by the quake. The epicenter of the quake was between the major cities of Saravan and Khash, where about 400,000 people live.
A state of emergency was declared in Saravan, officials said.
Geo News reported tremors being felt across Pakistan, India, Dubai and other areas of the region.
In Pakistan, five people including two children died in the collapse of their house following the quake, Karachi News reported. The quake was felt in Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Chaghi, Sibi, Jaffarabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The quake destroyed more than 50 shops in the Washuk District of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, CNN said.
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
