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Quakes kill 25 in China, Iran

An earthquake in China killed at least 15 people on Saturday, while another quake in southern Iran on Sunday killed 10.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said most of the damage from the magnitude-5.7 quake occurred in Ruichang city and the popular resort town of Jiujiang in Jiangxi province.

In Iran, an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 5.9 shook a sparsely populated southern area on Sunday, flattening seven villages, officials and state-run television said. The temblor was felt as far away as Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Zhang Xuping and his family dashed out of their home as soon as they felt the ground shaking. Minutes later, their neighbor was killed and buildings near them collapsed as a strong earthquake rolled through their village in central China.

"I felt very strong shocks, lasting about six to seven seconds. We fled immediately," Zhang said by phone Sunday, one day after the temblor struck, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 450.

In Hubei province, 78 students were injured when they were caught in a stampede during an evacuation, Xinhua News Agency said. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and thousands damaged, it said.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 5.5. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

Chinese television reported Sunday that there had been 200 aftershocks in the area but did not provide details.

Scores of residents were shown camping outside, some huddled in sleeping bags.

Heidar Alishvandi, the governor of Qeshm, was quoted by Iranian state television as saying rescue teams were deployed to the affected area, and people in the wrecked villages moved quickly to safely.

Another provincial official, Ghasem Karami, told the Associated Press that high casualties were not expected because the area was not heavily developed.

Tehran's seismologic center said the quake was of magnitude 5.9, but the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., said it had a magnitude of 6.1. A magnitude-6.0 quake can cause severe damage.

Iran's seismologic center said the epicenter was in the waters of the Persian Gulf between the port city of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, about 940 miles south of Tehran. The USGS said the quake was 35 miles southwest of Bandar Abbas, which has about 500,000 residents.

Masoud Dalman, head of Hormozgan province's emergency affairs, said several buildings on Qeshm Island were damaged. The island has about 200,000 residents.

State-run TV reported that Qeshm Island's airport sustained minor damage and part of a major hospital collapsed from the force of the quake. No further details were provided.

Shahram Alamdari, head of Iranian Red Crescent's rescue unit, said two helicopters were evacuating the injured from Qeshm to Bandar Abbas.

In Oman and the United Arab Emirates, buildings were evacuated and people fled into the streets.

"Power and water supplies were not affected," said Alireza Khorshidzadeh, a local journalist. "People poured into the streets, fearing aftershocks."

In Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the UAE, several buildings in the skyscraper-lined central business district were evacuated. They included the twin Emirates Towers, the highest buildings on the main street, where many international corporations and Dubai government institutions have offices.

"It lasted around 30 seconds or so - you could feel the building moving and the coffee cups shaking," public relations executive Bina Mathews said.

[Last modified November 28, 2005, 01:05:08]