Released: 1/11/2011 12:44:35 PM

Contact Information:

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S.
Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National Center
Reston, VA 20192

Heidi Koontz
Phone: 303-202-4763

Clarice Nassif Ransom
Phone: 703-648-4299

While the U.S. Geological Survey recorded 22 magnitude-7 or larger earthquakes in 2010, almost all the fatalities were produced by one - the major quake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12.

In 2010, about 227,000 people were killed due to earthquakes, with over 222,570 from the magnitude-7.0 Haiti event,

Kerman, Dec 21, IRNA - Over 4 hours after occurrence of 6.5 Richer quake in Kerman's Fahraj Township concerned organs are still busy evaluating initial extent of material and human losses, while scores of people are caught under debris.

According to the latest reports up to ten past two in the morning, Tehran time, the bodies of five dead victims have been evacuated from under debris in the villages of Rigan Township.

The eye witnesses in the region, including the governor of Rigan, say that scores of quake victims, particularly those

21 December 2010

At 10.12pm local time (18:42 UTC) on 20 December 2010, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted the town of Hosseinabad in Kerman province in south-eastern Iran.

According to latest reports, at least 4 people were killed and 26 have been injured. Over 30 villages in the province have been affected, and access to some villages is difficult.

The earthquake was felt in the provinces of Kerman, Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan and only lasted 30 seconds, but it was followed by 27 aftershocks, the most powerful of which was a 5.0-magnitude tremor.

Watch the Video

Combing through rubble for signs of victims. An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 shook Kerman province late on Monday killing at least nine and injuring hundreds. Kerman governor, Esmail Najjar, has expressed concern about how many might still be trapped. There have been reports of nine aftershocks since the main quake which occurred just after 10 pm local time and was felt in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan,

* At least seven killed, hundreds injured in Iran quake

* Three villages devastated, hundreds under rubble

(Updates death toll)

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed in a 6.5-magnitude earthquake that jolted southeastern Iran on Monday, damaging buildings in outlying mountainous areas, the region's governor said.

"Seven people have been killed and hundreds have been injured. Hundreds of people are still trapped under the rubbles," Esmail Najjar, governor of Iran's Kerman province, the