5 Killed, 105 Hurt by Quake in Southwest

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake in southwestern Iran killed five people and injured 105, Iranian radio reported. The quake shook the Khonj-e Lar area of Fars province Friday afternoon. Landslides caused by the quake initially prevented rescuers from reaching the area by road, but rescuers said the death toll was not expected to rise much more. People died in the landslides and in homes that collapsed in the tremor, an official at Tehran’s National Disaster Headquarters said on customary condition of anonymity. More than 30 people were severely injured and required hospitalization, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency, quoting hospital officials in the town of Khonj. The greatest damage appeared to be in Beyghard, a village of 3,000 that is 15 miles east of Khonj, the agency said. Some 70% of the town was destroyed, and its water and electricity supplies were severed.