10 Aftershocks in Kerman After Quake

Over 10 aftershocks were registered following the earthquake that shook Shahdad County in Kerman Province on Thursday. A quake measuring five on the Richter scale shook the suburbs of Shahdad, 90 km from Kerman city. According to the provincial Crisis Management Organization (CMO), three of the aftershocks measured over 3 on the Richter scale. “There have been no direct damages or casualties from the earthquake or the aftershocks, but relief and rescue teams are on standby,” said Mohsen Salehi Kermani, head of the provincial CMO, IRNA reported. Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth’s crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The worst in recent times hit Bam in Kerman Province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people (about a quarter of its population) and destroying the city’s ancient mud-built citadel.