Eight killed in Iran earthquake

MORE than 80 villages were seriously damaged by a strong earthquake that hit northern Iran yesterday, killing at least eight people.

Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said the villages most damaged were near Alamout, about 80 miles west of Tehran, the capital.

“The damage is estimated between 30 to 50%,” he said.

At least eight people have been reported dead and 28 injured in the quake, measured at 6.2 magnitude by the US Geological Survey.