An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 and a series of aftershocks struck the southern Iranian province of Hormuzgan on Saturday, causing minor damage, officials said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“The earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.0, was centered near the rural area of Fin in Hormuzgan province,” Farhad Jabari, head of Hormuzgan’s Red Crescent rescue service told Reuters.
Before leaving for the quake-hit area, Jabari said by telephone he did not think the first quake at 10:58 a.m. local time had done much damage but feared a third aftershock at about 1:30 p.m. gave more grounds for concern.
The official IRNA news agency said two early aftershocks had measured 3.8 and 4.8. Jabari said the third aftershock had felt stronger than the original quake.
Fin, with a population of about 15,000, lies some 43.5 miles north of the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, home to one of the Islamic Republic’s key refineries.
Jabari said Bandar Abbas and its refinery were unaffected.
Abdol Arbabkhah, deputy regional administrator in Fin, told IRNA there had been some minor damage.
“The three aftershocks caused panic among the people. We have not received any reports on the extent of damage but the walls of some buildings, including people’s homes ... have been cracked,” he said.
IRNA said the first quake shook areas near the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm off Hormuzgan’s south coast.
Qeshm is the biggest island in the Gulf and is a free-trade zone with a population of about 120,000.
Ten people were killed and 50 injured when an earthquake measuring 5.9 razed mud-brick villages of Qeshm in November.
