This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22077834

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Earthquake near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station Earthquake near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station
(35 minutes later)
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck in south-west Iran, not far from the country's only nuclear power station, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck in south-west Iran, not far from the country's only nuclear power station, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.
Initial reports on state media say three people have died. The Bushehr nuclear plant has not been affected and is working normally, officials are quoted as saying.
Posts on social media in the region said people felt the quake across the Gulf in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. At least three people are reported to have died in the quake that struck 90km (60 miles) south of Bushehr. Iran's Red Crescent is sending teams to the area.
The quake was felt across the Gulf in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
Seismologists said the quake struck at 16:22 (11:52 GMT) at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) near the town of Kaki, south of Bushehr, a Gulf port city that is home to Iran's first and only nuclear power plant.
Iran's seismological centre in Bushehr province, linked to Tehran University, registered the quake at a magnitude of 6.1.
Five aftershocks - the strongest measuring a magnitude of 5.4 - struck within an hour.
'Within the norm'
The governor of Bushehr, Fereydoun Hassanvand, told Iranian state TV that the nuclear plant was not damaged.
An official with the Russian firm Atomstroyexport told Russian media that the quake "in no way affected the normal situation at the reactor".
"Personnel continue to work in the normal regime and radiation levels are fully within the norm," the official was quoted by Russian state news agency Ria as saying.
Iran's nuclear programme has roused concern among major powers that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.Iran's nuclear programme has roused concern among major powers that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.
The USGS said the quake struck at 11:52 GMT at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), some 90km from Bushehr city, near to the power plant. Fault line
Iran's seismological centre in Bushehr province, linked to Tehran University, registered a 6.1 magnitude quake close to the town of Kaki, some 60 miles south of Bushehr. One resident in Bushehr told Reuters news agency that they could "clearly feel the earthquake" but there was no damage.
More than five aftershocks have been felt so far, the strongest measuring a magnitude of 5.4. State media reported that three people had died so far, and phone lines had been brought down by the quake and its aftershocks.
The Russian contractor which built the Bushehr plant says it has not been affected by the earthquake, says Russian news agency Interfax. Iran's Red crescent said there were around 10,000 people living in villages in the affected area, and rescue teams had been deployed to help them.
Staff at the complex felt the jolts but continue to work as usual, while radiation levels have not changed, an unnamed Atomstroyexport official told Interfax. The earthquake shook buildings across the Gulf.
"Our entire building started to wobble from side to side for around 30 seconds or so," Phil Stevens, working on the 10th floor of a building in Abu Dhabi, told the BBC.
"It was a very strange sensation, rather like being on a rocking boat. We evacuated our office and quickly learnt of the earthquake in Iran."
Iran straddles a major geological fault line, making it prone to seismic activity. In 2003, an earthquake in the city of Bam left more than 25,000 people dead.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditionsRead the terms and conditions