Iran tremors bring new emergency

[senorpepr]

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian authorities closed schools and warned oil and gas workers in the country's southwest to take precautions Wednesday after a wave of tremors rolled through the region.

The near-continuous tremors began early Tuesday, less than two weeks after a major earthquake in southeastern Iran killed an estimated 30,000 people. Authorities have recorded 41 tremors in the past 36 hours, ranging between magnitudes 2.7 and 4.9, Iranian state television reported.

Residents in the southwestern cities of Masjid Suleiman and Izeh have been sleeping on the streets for fear of being indoors when a major earthquake hits, and local authorities have asked for tents to be sent to the region, the state news agency IRNA reported.

Masjid Suleiman is home to about 150,000 people, while Izeh has a population of about 100,000. Both are in a major oil-producing region about 600 kilometers (375 miles) southwest of Tehran.

Schools in those cities were closed until further notice, IRNA said.

President Mohammed Khatami has declared a state of emergency, putting government agencies and relief groups on alert in case of a major quake, and telephone communication with the affected area was cut off Wednesday.

A magnitude 6.6 quake struck the southeastern city of Bam on December 26, killing an estimated 30,000 people and destroying a 2,000 year-old fortress near the city.

Iranian authorities last week ended general search-and-rescue operations, despite the rescue of a 97-year-old woman. (Full story)

Relief workers from Iran and more than 60 countries have been trying to help tens of thousands of survivors who are homeless and without basic necessities.

The United States had hoped to send a governmental humanitarian delegation to Iran, headed by Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-North Carolina, a former president of the American Red Cross. However, Iran rejected the offer, saying a visit was possible later.

Washington-Tehran relations have been troubled since 1979 when Iranians seized American hostages in the U.S. Embassy and held most of them for 444 days.