Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Iran has been rocked by an earthquake felt
throughout the Gulf and South Asia.

Iran said the earthquake reached a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter Scale
and called the strongest in more than 50 years. Unlike the one on April 9,
the latest quake did not take place near Iran’s nuclear energy reactor at
Bushehr.

“In the aftermath of this earthquake five evaluation teams from the
Khash and Saravan branches were sent to the area to assess damage,” Iranian
Red Crescent official Mahmoud Mozaffar said.

The latest earthquake, the epicenter of which took place 200 kilometers
southeast of Zahedan, killed at least 46 people in neighboring Pakistan. No
casualties were reported in either Iran or the six Gulf Cooperation Council
states.

“All authorities concerned are closely following the situation and all
preparedness measures and plans are in place,” said Jamal Al Husseini, a
spokesman for the United Arab Emirates’ National Emergency Crisis and
Disaster Management Authority.

Later, the International Atomic Energy Agency said the quake did not
damage Bushehr or other nuclear facilities.

  7.8 on the Richter Scale, Bushehr, International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran rocked by strongest earthquake in 50 years, Khash, Mahmoud Mozaffar, Saravan, second this month