Iranian state radio says a medium-size earthquake has damaged old rural buildings in a sparsely populated area in southern Iran. The report says the magnitude 5.3 quake did not cause any casualties when it hit six villages early Tuesday in Zarrin Dasht, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Tehran. Iran is located on several seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake every day on average. In March 2006, three earthquakes and nine aftershocks hit western Iran in quick succession, killing at least 70 people and injuring about 1,200, the Associated Press reported.
