Earthquake Strikes Iran

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The quake killed at least 31 people and entire towns were destroyed, according to Los Angeles Times.

The shock struck close to Iran's Gulf port city, Bushehr causing panic and evacuations in some office buildings nearby. Bushehr provincial Governor Fereydoon Hasanvand confirmed that at least 650 people were injured and are being hospitalized.

Hundreds of miles from Bushehr in Dubai, many high-rise buildings executed brief evacuations. Some evacuations also occurred in Bahrain.

A mother and child stand among the rubble after
the earthquake that took place in Iran in August 2012.

Mahmoud Mozafar, head of Iran's Red Crescent rescue corps, earlier reported that at least one village near Khormoj--home to nearly 12,000 residents--has been destroyed, however further information confirming where the casualties took place is still being investigated. 

Electricity and telecommunication was cut off and search and rescue teams were sent to the area.

The quake happened to leave Iran's only nuclear plant almost untouched. "No damage at all has been caused [to the nuclear plant]," Governor of Bushehr Province Fereidon Hasanvand told state television.

Iran is placed around many major fault lines making it prone to frequent earthquakes. More than a dozen aftershocks have been reported, with the most powerful aftershock at 5.3 magnitude.