TEHRAN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 shook southern Iran on Sunday but there were no immediate reports of any casualties, the official IRNA news agency said.State television said the tremor struck at 1:30 p.m. (1000 GMT) and was centred close to the Qeshm Island near Bandar Abbas city.
The U.S. Geological Survey said it was of 6.1 magnitude, some 58 km (36 miles) southwest of Bandar Abbas at 1022 GMT.
"It is very, very preliminary. At this point we have no casualties reported, but that is because it so recently happened," said a U.S. Geological Survey spokeswoman.
A tremor was felt also in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, prompting many people to evacuate buildings.
Witnesses in high-rise buildings said they felt the ground shaking beneath them for about a minute. Many residents evacuated their buildings and waited on the streets.
Sunday, November 27, 2005 at 05:22:23 AM (EST) - Eastern Standard (New York, Toronto, Jamaica)
TEHRAN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Three villages on Iran's island of Qeshm in the Gulf have been badly damaged in a strong earthquake, officials and state television said on Sunday.In addition to the damage done to the villages of Tonban, Gavarzin and Khaledi, state television said marketplaces in the island's capital Qeshm City had been shaken to the ground. Qeshm is part of Hormuzgan province.
There were no immediate details on casualties.
That is almost right in the gulf, maybe a tsunami across the gulf?