MNA � President Rouhani has called on his interior minister Fazli to expedite relief and assistance to victims of the earthquake which hit Kerman Province on Friday morning.


In a telephone conversation with Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was informed on the latest status of quake-hit areas in Kerman province and issued necessary commands to help relieve victims.

Rahmani Fazli, for his part, while providing necessary explanations, assured the President that the situation is in full control of the responsible authorities for relief of the people.

An earthquake with a magnitude of up to 6.3 has hit eastern Iran near the city of Kerman, seismological centers report.

The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10km, some 60km from the city of Kerman, which has a population of over 800,000, including suburbs.

The quake's magnitude was initially reported at 6.3 by the US Geological Survey (USGS), cited by Reuters, and at 5.9 by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). Both later revised it to 6.0.

Magnitude 6.0 earthquakes are considered strong and can cause severe damage, especially in densely populated areas. However, there have so far been no reports of casualties or destruction in this particular case, RT reported.

The 6.0 quake was quickly followed by a 5.0 aftershock slightly closer to Kerman, at the same depth.