Hundreds feared dead as quake hits Iran village

More than 190 people were killed as a huge earthquake struck a mountainous region of southeast Iran, amid fears the final death toll could rise into the hundreds.

The worst hit village appeared to be Dahuyeh, which has a population of 820 and was "destroyed 100 percent", according to Ali Komsari, a spokesman for the local government in Kerman province.



Villagers were buried alive in Dahuyeh's mosque when the quake struck during pre-dawn prayers, natural disaster services official Mohammad Javad Fadaie told state media on Tuesday.

More than 190 people were killed and another 1,000 injured in the quake, which struck at 5:55 am (0225 GMT), he said.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 6.4 on the open-ended Richter scale and its epicentre was located some 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the city of Kerman.


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