Iran earthquake kills 400

At least 400 people have been killed and 1,000 injured after a powerful earthquake hit Iran early today.

Many more are feared dead after the quake shook the south- eastern region at 5.55am local time.

Early reports from Iranian state- run television confirmed several villages had been destroyed.

"The latest figure we have is 400 dead and 1,000 injured," said interior ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani.

State radio, quoting a local medical official, said 100 bodies had already been counted and the number of injured could be as high as 5,000.

The head of the Kerman province natural disaster headquarters, Mohsen Salehi, added that the destruction in five villages was between 20 and 70 per cent.

Thousands of people have been left without power as the quake knocked out electricity supplies for hundreds of miles.

The epicentre was 440 miles south-east of the capital, Tehran, in the town of Zarand.

The tremor follows the devastating-earthquake which hit the desert citadel of Bam, about 160 miles south-east of Zarand, in December 2003.

The pre-dawn Bam quake, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, flattened the city, killing 31,000 people.

With major settlements in the area appearing to have escaped heavy damage, officials said today the toll would not be as high in some past quakes.