Eight people killed by quake in southern Iran

TEHRAN,Nov.30(MNA) – Eight people were killed in an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr on Thursday night. The epicenter of the earthquake was Dashtestan County on the Persian Gulf coast. The area was also struck by 21 aftershocks. Over 200 people were injured and nearly 300 houses were damaged by the quake, according to media reports. Relief teams and relevant officials have been dispatched to the affected area. Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told ISNA that the Bushehr nuclear power plant was not affected by the quake and is operating at full capacity. Kamalvandi added that the Bushehr power plant is extremely resistant to earthquakes. Also, sources at the communications department of Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation confirmed that the earthquake did not affect the Bushehr plant, according to the Russian media. Radiation does not exceed the normal level, the sources said, adding, “The plant continues operating at full capacity.” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed condolences to the bereaved families and said he sympathizes with the injured people. He also urged the relevant officials to speed up their efforts to send aid and equipment to the affected people.