Iran:
Iran's state TV says a magnitude 5.1 quake killed four people in a village deep in southern Iran. The report says the quake struck Saifabad village near the town of Khonj, about 1,000 kilometres south of the capital, Tehran.
The TV says the four fatalities are foreign nationals, a reference to Afghan labourers who work on farms. It says another four people were injured. The epicentre of the quake is said to be in a mountainous and sparsely populated rural area.
The US Geological Survey described the temblor as a 5.3magnitude quake, striking at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres in Iran's Fars province. Magnitude 5 earthquakes can cause considerable damage.Friday's quake also struck at a shallow depth, which intensifies its effect.
