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Iran Jolted By Recent Earthquake

A strong earthquake and several aftershocks rocked southern Iran on Saturday. No injuries were reported immediately, but nearly two-dozen buildings were knocked down. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was about 50 miles northwest of Iran`s main port in the Hormuz Strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

The mayor of the town closest to the epicenter says about 20 buildings collapsed and telephone lines were downed, but no one was killed or injured. Which means that either those buildings were abandoned, or the news agency that first reported this news or the city official was lying.

The "Islamic Republic News Agency", or IRNA, Iran`s state-run news agency, said two early aftershocks had measured 3.8 and 4.8. Witnesses say the third aftershock had felt stronger than the original quake. Earthquakes are fairly common in the Islamic Republic, with big quakes in heavily populated centers sometimes taking tens of thousands of lives.