Magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolts remote area in southern Iran, killing 1 person

Magnitude 6.1 earthquake kills 1 in south Iran

TEHRAN, Iran — A magnitude 6.1 earthquake on Monday killed one person and injured seven after it shook a rural mountainous area in southern Iran, the official news agency reported.

The quake jolted the sparsely populated district of Konar Takhteh some 560 miles (900 kilometers) southwest of capital Tehran, reported IRNA, adding that tremors were felt hundreds of miles away.

In addition to the casualties, a number of old buildings were damaged in the quake, the report said.

The quake lasted for just 10 seconds, reported the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s strength at magnitude 5.7.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and on average experiences at least one slight earthquake a day.

A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in 2003, killing 26,000 people.