Strong Quake Jolts Southern Iran, 15 Injured

May 13, 2013

Iranian state TV says a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake has jolted the south of the country, injuring at least 15 people.

The report said the quake struck the Arabian Sea port town of Jask at 6:38 a.m. (GMT 2:08 a.m.) Saturday damaging hundreds of homes.

Even moderate quakes can be deadly in the Iranian countryside, where houses are often built of bricks.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 37 in southern Iran last month. Some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in 2003.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and, on average, experiences at least one slight quake every day.