IRAN - 400 Killed In Earthquake.

An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale strikes the outskirts of Zarand, 600km south-east of Tehran and 200km north-west of Bam, (the historic city devastated just over a year ago in an earthquake measuring 6.6 that killed up to 40,000), leaving an estimated 380 people dead, injuring at least 1,000 and razing three villages. More than 40 villages were badly damaged and three were destroyed entirely in an area with a population of about 30,000. The head of Kerman Medical University Iraj Sharifi, was reported as saying the eventual death toll could exceed 1,000, with up to 5,000 injured. TV pictures showed residents searching among rubble for survivors. The Red Crescent Society said it had dispatched 50 relief and rescue teams to the area and airlifted 300 of the injured to hospitals. Britain was among the first countries to offer aid. The foreign secretary Jack Straw, expressed his sympathy and said the UK would "do all we can" to assist the Iranian government with the disaster. In Zarand itself, which has a population of 15,000, no deaths were reported. Damage was worse in nearby villages, where houses are made mainly of mud and brick. "In Zarand and Kerman only some walls have collapsed", said an interior ministry spokesman. Heavy rain slowed relief efforts and stopped helicopters from reaching the area, where electricity was cut off. (Iran lies at the confluence of three of Earth's tectonic plates and is one of the most seismically active areas. Five earthquakes in the country since 1900 have each killed more than 10,000 people, according to the US Geological Survey. Experts warn of the possibility of a strong earthquake in Tehran, home to 12m people).