At least six dead in southern Iran quake

BANDAR ABBAS, Iran, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- At lease six people were killed Wednesday in a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck near Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas, state media reported.

IRNA reported the governor of the Gulf island of Qeshm said the quake also injured 46 people. Mehdi Iran-nejad told IRNA three people died in Kaveh Jetty and three more were killed three other villages.

Following the initial quake, two aftershocks registering magnitudes of 4.8 and 4.4, respectively, rattled the region, Fars News Agency reported.

Qeshm bore most of the casualties, sources told the BBC, which reported the injured were being evacuated by boat to Bandar Abbas. The Iranian news agency ISNA said five of them were deemed to be in serious condition.

A Red Crescent official, speaking on Iranian television, said it was unlikely the quake had caused a high number of casualties, the British broadcaster said.