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Iran quakes damage 150 houses - report

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Iran
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Thomson Reuters Foundation
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17 Jan 2010 12:47:41 GMT

Source: Reuters

TEHRAN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Two earthquakes which struck in the same area of southwestern Iran overnight damaged about 150 houses, an official said on Sunday.

The quakes of magnitude 4.9 and 4.1 respectively occurred near the town of Andimeshk in Khuzestan province, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a 5.0 magnitude quake in the area shortly before midnight (2030 GMT) local time.

The two quakes on Saturday night and early Sunday morning damaged 150 urban and rural residential units, said Shahpour Rostami, a senior provincial official.

Southwestern Iran is home to many oil fields but there were no reports of any damage to facilities. The world's fifth-largest oil exporter is criss-crossed by faultlines and often experiences earthquakes.

(Reporting by Hashem Kalantari; writing by Fredrik Dahl; editing by Angus MacSwan)