Hundreds killed in Iranian quake
news.bbc.co.uk
There are fears that many people are buried under rubble
An earthquake has hit several villages in south-eastern Iran, killing at least 400 people and injuring hundreds more.
The 6.4-magnitude quake was centred near Zarand in Kerman province, 740km (460 miles) from the capital, Tehran.
The authorities say up to 70% of the buildings in six villages around Zarand have been damaged or destroyed
They added that damage was limited because of the depth of the quake, which struck at about 0600 (0230 GMT), and the remoteness of the area hit.
A spokesman for the governor's office in Zarand, which has a population of about 15,000 people, said they had identified and registered 137 bodies, but added that 400 people were known to have died so far.
The head of Zarand hospital said 5,000 people were injured, but Iran's interior ministry says that will include people who received first aid for very minor injuries.
Casualty figures are expected to rise as rescue workers reach badly affected villages.
Aftershocks
Two villages are said to have seen almost all of their buildings destroyed, Iranian television reports.
The access road to one of the villages has been blocked by a landslide caused by the earthquake.
In that village, which has a population of 1,500 people, there was a religious gathering under way at the time of the earthquake and it is feared many of those who took part may be buried under the rubble there, reports the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.
Eleven rescue teams have been sent to the area, including police, military and helicopters.
The emergency services say it helped that they were already on alert because of heavy snow and rain in the country.
The governor says communications have been affected in the area, but work to restore them is under way.
Rain is hampering the rescue effort, along with very heavy traffic.
People in the area have been asked to stay outdoors despite the heavy rain for fear of aftershocks and they have been told not to use mobile telephones except for emergencies.
The interior ministry says there have already been 20 aftershocks.
Gas has been shut off in the area as a precaution, and mud schools have been closed, with classes being held outdoors, our correspondent says.
Earthquake prone
The epicentre of the latest quake is about 200km (120 miles) north-west of Bam, where some 30,000 people were killed when a powerful earthquake levelled the historic city in 2003.
Iran has at least a minor earthquake almost every day.
The United Nations says Iran is the worst country in the world in terms of earthquakes.
Seismologists say this is because Iran is at the confluence of three of the Earth's plates and is literally being squeezed by them.
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