Earthquake kills six in southeastern Iran

ZAHEDAN, Iran, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Six people died and 21 were injured when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake rattled southeastern Iran, a government official said Tuesday.

Javad Kamali, deputy governor for Kerman province, told the government-backed Islamic Republic News Agency that buildings and infrastructure sustained heavy damage from Monday's quake.

Access to villages remains difficult and "efforts aimed at opening access routes to them are still under way," Kamali said. "If forwarding relief (aid) to those villages would be necessary, that can be done merely by helicopters."

He said provincial airports could handle relief operation flights.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered 133 miles southwest of Zahedan, the provincial capital, and 193 miles east-northeast of Bandar-e Abbas along the coast.

The quake could be also felt in Hormozgan and Sistan-o-Balouchestan provinces, Kamali said.