Strong quake hits west Iran, 250 injured

A strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the province of Ilam in western Iran on Monday, injuring at least 250 people and causing extensive damage to buildings, Iranian media said. The US Geological Survey, reporting the magnitude of the quake at 6.3, said it struck 36 kilometres (22 miles) southeast of the city of Abdanan, near the border with Iraq. According to state television, the quake occurred at 7:02 am (0232 GMT) near the town of Mour-Mouri. ‘Fortunately there have been no reports of deaths so far but there have been injuries and a great deal of material damage,’ a Red Cross official told the television. The chief of the crisis committee for the area, Ahmad Karami, later said 250 people had been injured in the quake, according to AFP.