A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran on Wednesday near Bandar Abbas, the U.S. Geological Service said. Iran's state-owned Press TV described the tremor as strong but said there were no reports of casualties. The Fars news agency quoted an Iranian official as saying the quake measured 7.5 on the Richter scale. Magnitude 6 quakes are capable of causing severe damage. USGS said the earthquake hit at 1100 GMT about 53 km (33 miles) west-southwest of Bandar Abbas at a depth of 34.6 miles (55 km). Bandar Abbas is a major Iranian port with oil installations including a refinery, according to a report of Reuters. State radio reported the quake was 46 km (29 miles) west of Bandar Abbas and people ran panicking into the streets.
