Another Major Earthquake in Bou'in-Zahra of Qazvin after 40 years

An unidentified villager cries, as he holds his wife in Abdareh, Qazvin province, 280 km (173 miles) southwest of Tehran, Iran, that was destroyed by an earthquake, killing more than 50 on Saturday June 22, 2002. Rescuers began digging through rubble in search of survivors from Saturday's powerful earthquake in northwestern Iran that killed at least 500 people and injured around 1,600, Iran's state-run media reported.(AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)
- Jun 22 11:22 AM ET

500 Dead in Iran Earthquake

Sat Jun 22, 7:39 AM ET

By AFSHIN VALINEJAD, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A strong earthquake rocked northwestern Iran on Saturday, killing at least 500 people and injuring 1,600, Iran's state-run media reported.

Most of the deaths occurred in the town of Bou'in-Zahra in Qazvin province, the epicenter of the 6.0 magnitude quake, Majid Shalviri, the head of the provincial Red Crescent Society, was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency. The area is 140 miles west of Tehran.

State-run radio reported 500 people were killed and 1,600 injured.

The 7:30 a.m. quake hit the northern, central and western provinces of Gilan, Tehran, Kurdestan, Qazvin, Zanjan and Hamedan and was followed by several aftershocks, the Islamic Republic News Agency said. It was also felt in the capital, Tehran.

Eighty people were killed in the village of Kisse-Jin alone, Shalviri said.

Earlier, Mohammad Hossein Parvinian, deputy governor of Qazvin province, told the news agency that "50 to 90 percent" of 10 villages were damaged and that rescue teams had been sent to the region.

In 1963, a deadly earthquake hit the same area, killing more than 12,200 people and demolishing 124 villages.

Iran lies on a major seismic line and is prone to quakes. Moderate tremors are reported in various parts of Iran almost daily.

The U.S. Geological Survey 's Web site reported a higher magnitude for the quake, 6.3.

President Mohammad Khatami  issued a message of condolence to the Iranian nation, state-run TV said.