Nervous southwest Iran hit by two more tremors

TEHRAN (AFP) Jan 08, 2004
Two more tremors hit a major oil- and gas-producing area in southwest Iran Thursday, seismologists said, a day after the region was put on maximum alert over the possibility of a deadly major quake like the one that struck the southeast of the country last week.

The latest tremors, the Masjed Soleiman area, bring to 30 the number recorded in two days, said scientists at Tehran university's geophysical institute quoted by state news agency IRNA.

The first, measuring 3.4 on the open-ended Richter scale, was registered at 12:30 am (2039 GMT Wednesday) and 6:09 am (0239 GMT).

On Wednesday, President Mohammad Khatami ordered emergencies precautions be taken in and around the towns of Masjed Soleiman, Izeh and Baghmalek -- situated around 450 kilometres (280 miles) southwest of Tehran in Khuzestan province.

Iran has been on a quake footing after a massive earthquake hit the southeastern city of Bam on December 26, killing up to 35,000 people.

Masjed Soleiman was last hit by a major quake in September 2002, when an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale caused five injuries.

The Bam quake has also prompted the Islamic republic's clerical leaders to consider proposals to shift the political capital out of quake-prone Tehran, which sits on several major seismic faultlines.

During the 20th century, around 20 big quakes hit Iran, leaving more than 140,000 people dead. Since 1991 alone, and before the Bam disaster, nearly 1,000 earthquakes have claimed some 17,600 lives and injured 53,000 people, according to official figures.

Medical officials said Thursday morning that a 56-year-old man was pulled alive Wednesday night from the rubble of the Bam quake, 13 days after the tragedy.

TERRA.WIRE