7.8-Magnitude Quake Hits Iran

Tremors felt throughout Middle East
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2013 6:17 AM CDT
Updated Apr 16, 2013 7:37 AM CDT
7.8-Magnitude Quake Rocks Iran
Survivors search the rubble, a day after an earthquake, at the city of Shonbeh, southern Iran, Wednesday, April 10, 2013.   (AP Photo/ISNA, Mohammad Salehinia)

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has rocked Iran near the Pakistan border, according to the USGS. State-run TV initially reported that at least 40 were killed, but it has since retracted that, saying only 5 were injured, the BBC reports. "Fortunately, the earthquake resulted in no fatalities," a provincial governor tells Reuters. There have been reports of at least five deaths on Pakistan's side of the border. Tremors were reportedly felt throughout the Middle East, and as far away as Dubai and New Delhi.

The AP reports that across the Gulf, high-rise buildings swayed and officials ordered evacuations. A 6.1-magnitude quake killed 37 in Iran last Tuesday; officials said that temblor didn't damage the Bushehr nuke plant. The Russian company that built the plant tells Reuters there was again no damage. (More earthquake stories.)

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