More than 30 people are dead after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southwest Iran.  The epicenter is 90 kilometers south of the country’s only nuclear power plant, but the government claims it has not been affected.

It happened after 4:00 O’clock in the afternoon, local time, and within hours the search for survivors was hampered by darkness.  Iranian television showed  the flimsy brick and mortar buildings shattered by the force of the temblor and several injured people.  More than 850 people are hurt, but the local government says most of the injuries are minor.

The government declared a mourning period of three days.

The quake was felt across the Gulf in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.