At least one dead as twin quakes hit Iran

TEHRAN: Two strong earthquakes struck southern Iran within 90 seconds Sunday, killing at least one person and sparking scenes of panic, official sources said. The 6.4 and 6.3 magnitude earthquakes hit at a depth of 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) in Hormozgan province, the Iranian seismological centre said.

A 22-year-old man was killed by a falling electricity pole, Iranian Red Crescent chief Mehdi Valipour told state television. He said several teams have been deployed to assess the damage. The public broadcaster aired live footage from the area showing trucks stopped on the road, having been shaken by the tremor. In a video broadcast on state television purportedly of an aftershock, a man is heard saying: “Look what the quake did to the mountains... another earthquake, it’s shaking the trucks and flattening the mountains.”