Massive earthquake kills many in Iran; tremors felt in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A massive earthquake of 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Iran and killed at least 40 people, the Iranian state TV said. An Iranian government official said on Tuesday he expected hundreds of deaths.

"It was the biggest earthquake in Iran in 40 years and we are expecting hundreds of dead," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iran's seismological center said the 7.5 magnitude earthquake was centered near Saravan, a sparsely populated area about 48 kilometers (26 miles) from the Pakistani border. The US Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 7.8 and at a depth of 15.2 kilometers (nine miles).

Tremors from the earthquake whose epicentre was the Iran-Pakistan border were felt in parts of North and West India. Tremors were felt across the Gulf region.

Strong tremors shook tall buildings in New Delhi and NCR region, sending people running into the streets. Many offices across the country were evacuated and traffic on roads came to a halt, Times Now visuals showed.

Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh also experienced mild tremors. There were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property, officials said.

The tremors, which were felt at 1621 hrs, lasted a few seconds.

The quake struck less than a week after a 6.1 magnitude quake hit near Bushehr, on Iran's Persian Gulf coast, killing at least 37 people.