14 DAY TRIAL // On April 9, a major earthquake struck close to a nuclear plant in Iran. Information shared with the public says that the quake's magnitude was one of 6.3, and that its epicenter was the city of Kaki, located at a distance of roughly 96 kilometers (approximately 60 miles) south of Bushehr.
Specialists explain that the earthquake was also felt in the following regions: Bahrain, Dubai, and Qatar.
According to the official USGS website, the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (roughly 6.2 miles). The earthquake is said to have been followed by a series of aftershocks, five of which hit within just one hour's time.
Several houses were reportedly crushed because of this major shake, yet the country's high officials maintain that the nuclear plant was not in any way damaged.
Thus, despite the fact that workers at the plant did feel the earthquake, the operations carried out at this facility were not in the least affected.
“The earthquake in no way affected the normal situation at the reactor. Personnel continue to work in the normal regime and radiation levels are fully within the norm,” reads a statement issued by an official working with engineering company Atomstroyexport.
Daily Mail quotes Bushehr Provincial Governor Fereidoun Hasanvand, who also wished to stress the fact that “No damage was done to Bushehr power plant.”
By the looks of it, the villages of Shanbe and Sana, both of which are located fairly close to the nuclear plant, were badly damaged by the shake.
Preliminary reports say that at least 30 people died and some 850 people were injured during the earthquake. Of these, roughly 100 required urgent medical attention.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, several households were left without access to water and electricity.
“The April 9, 2013 M6.3 earthquake in southern Iran occurred as result of northeast-southwest oriented thrust-type motion in the shallow crust of the Arabian plate,” the USGS offered as an explanation for why it was that this earthquake took place.