Earthquake Shakes Central Iran*

By NASSER KARIMI
The Associated Press
Monday, June 18, 2007; 1:02 PM

TEHRAN, Iran -- An earthquake shook Iran's central desert Monday
evening, sending people in the holy city of Qom pouring into the streets
in fear, but no injuries or major damage was reported, residents and
state television said.

The 5.6-magnitude earthquake was centered 18.6 miles underground, state
TV said.

It was felt in Tehran and other cities for about seven seconds starting
at nearly 6 p.m., residents said.

The broadcast said the quake caused cracks in walls of some buildings in
rural areas and in a suburb of Qom, about 80 miles south of Tehran.

Qom is the theological center for Shiite Islam in Iran, and the late
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's revolutionary and religious
patriarch, taught there for years.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It
experiences at least one slight earthquake every day on average.

In March 2006, three earthquakes and nine aftershocks hit western Iran,
in quick succession, killing at least 70 people and injuring about 1,200.