Quake near Iran's Bushehr nuke power station leaves 3 dead

PanARMENIAN.Net - 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, BBC News reported.

Posts on social media in the region said people felt the quake across the Gulf in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

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.

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.

More than five aftershocks have been felt so far, the strongest measuring a magnitude of 5.4.

The Russian contractor which built the Bushehr plant says it has not been affected by the earthquake, says Russian news agency Interfax.

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.