Number Of Abdanan Quake Wounded Rises To 250

Ilam, Aug 18, IRNA – The number of people wounded in the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Abdanan, in this western province, Monday morning has risen to 250, latest reports said. A local official told IRNA that no one has been killed so far in the quake-stricken areas of the province. The strong tremor hit three western and southwestern provinces of Ilam, Lorestan and Khuzestan at 07:02 hours local time (0232 GMT) and was also felt in the neighboring provinces. Water, electricity and communication lines were cut in the city of Abdanan and its Murmury district which was announced as the epicenter of the earthquake. Murmury lies 55 km from Abdanan with 11 villages. Eight out of 11 villages were damaged by the earthquake and a large number of residential units were destroyed. Rescue teams were dispatched to the area and local officials are inspecting the region. Iran sits astride several major faults in the earthˈs crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The worst in recent times hit Bam in Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people - about a quarter of its population - and destroying the citys ancient mud-built citadel. The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages./end