A powerful earthquake has hit southern Iran , killing at least 10 people , injuring dozens more and damaging several villages , officials say .
southern Iran ,
powerful earthquake hit southern iran kill 10 people injure dozen damage village official
A powerful earthquake has hit <m> southern Iran , </m> killing at least 10 people , injuring dozens more and damaging several villages , officials say .
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Last Updated : Monday , 28 November 2005 , 02 : 24 GMT
Ten dead in southern Iran quake
A powerful earthquake has hit <m> southern Iran , </m> killing at least 10 people , injuring dozens more and damaging several villages , officials say .
The 6 . 1 - magnitude quake struck Qeshm island , home to 120 , 000 people , and the city of Bandar Abbas , state media said .
On Qeshm island , between half and two - thirds of homes in five villages had been damaged , officials said .
The quake , which struck at 1353 ( 1023 GMT ) , was felt in the neighbouring Gulf states of Oman and the UAE .
Iran sits in a volatile earthquake region and is regularly struck by damaging quakes .
A 6 . 7 - strength quake killed more than 26 , 000 people in the ancient city of Bam in December 2003 .
'We panicked'
The US Geological Survey put the epicentre of Sunday's quake at about 58km ( 36 miles ) south - west of Bandar Abbas .
Heydar Alishbandi , Governor of Qeshm island , said five villages had been badly hit , but the worst - affected areas appeared to be in the less - populated west .
Helicopters ferried the injured to hospital but the authorities say the rescue effort is now winding down .
Mr Alishbandi told the AFP news agency he was not expecting the death toll to rise .
The BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says in one incident a number of children suffered broken legs as they rushed to evacuate their school .
The initial tremor lasted just over 10 seconds , she says , and there have been at least four aftershocks of around 4 . 0 .
Qeshm is a popular tourist destination in the mouth of the Persian gulf .
It has a free trade zone and a commercial and fishing port as well as a sanctuary for the conservation of turtles
The main town on Qeshm still has power , water and electricity connections and officials say they are sending relief goods such as tents to those who have lost their homes
"We were panicked .
I saw an injured person with blood on their clothes being taken to a local hospital , " one woman in Qeshm told AFP .
There were reports of people fleeing buildings in the larger city of Bandar Abbas , a major port , but no indications of serious damage .
The surrounding area has not been hit by a quake in more than 25 years .
A 6 . 4 - magnitude quake hit the town of Zarand in Iran's Kerman province in February , killing hundreds of people .