Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake at Iran-Pakistani Border Kills 40

At 10:44:20.75 UTC, Tuesday, April 16, 2013 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred 83 kilometers east of Khash in Iran, near the country’s Pakistani border. The epicenter of this strong quake was around 48 kilometers from the border of Iran with Pakistan in an area called Saravan as reported by the Iranian seismological center.

Prior to the big quake, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake was recorded by local seismologists on the Richter scale without any casualties reported. After the major tremor, strong aftershocks were recorded at magnitude 6.3.

Tremors in India, Pakistan, and the Gulf

The epicenter was pinpointed along the border or Iran with Pakistan and the effects were felt until North India. Photos have been posted in Twitter showing damage to Gurgaon and New Delhi. Tremors were also felt in Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad. Pakistan also felt in Karachi and Islamabad. Building occupants reportedly vacated buildings in fear during the earthquake. The effects were also felt across the Gulf where high rises in Dubai were evacuated. Bahrain felt the tremors, too. Tehran (the capital of Iran) did not feel the quake, though.

Forty confirmed dead

The earthquake occurred in a sparsely populated area. The magnitude and depth (15.2 kilometers or 9 miles) of the Iran quake was confirmed by the United States Geological Survey. Within the hour after the quake, forty people were reported dead. But authorities fear the worst and more fatalities –in the hundreds—are expected in the next few hours. There are no specific details yet on property damage.

Less than a week before today, another city — Bushehr was rocked by an earthquake with at least 37 fatalities and around 800 injuries. This quake was located 96 kilometers southeast of Bushehr, the site of the sole nuclear reactor of Iran. Bushehr is along Pakistan’s Persian Gulf coast.