A High Magnitude Earthquake Struck Iran Near The Pakistan Border Tuesday
The U.S. Geological Survey has reported a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck east of Khash, Iran.
The quake took place at 10:44 GMT at an estimated depth of 51 miles. An official with the Iranian Red Crescent has been cited as saying that, because of the quake’s depth, damage was on par with a magnitude 4 event. The epicenter was located in a sparsely populated area, so injuries and damage in Iran were minor.
Pakistanis were not so fortunate. 34 deaths had been reported at the time of this article's writing and 80 were reported injured. Those numbers could rise as crews dig through wreckage in search of survivors.
Tremors were felt as far as India and Saudi Arabia, where tall buildings were evacuated as a precaution. The earthquake was the strongest to hit Iran in over 50 years.