Strong earthquake rocks Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - A strong earthquake rocked Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, killing at least three people and sending panicked residents running down apartment stairways and crowding in chilly parks.

Azerbaijani state television reported early Sunday that two people died of heart attacks as a result of the quake, but that there was no major damage to buildings. A 7-year-old boy was crushed to death by pieces of a ceiling, the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted paramedics as saying.

Most phone lines throughout the small Caucasus Mountain nation were down, and the electricity was out in much of Baku.

The earthquake struck Saturday evening with a magnitude of between 6.1 and 6.3 at its epicenter under the Caspian Sea near the port city, according to seismology centers in various countries.

Streets were strewn with broken glass and filled with ambulances and dazed people. The quake sent light fixtures, wall tiles and bookshelves crashing down, especially in tall apartment buildings, residents said.

State television urged residents to turn off electricity and gas, leave their homes and gather in open areas for fear of aftershocks.

Top government officials met overnight to review the damage, a government statement said. The meeting's conclusions were not immediately known.

Baku emergency officials said the earthquake's center was 60 miles northeast of the city, while the U.S. Geological Survey said the center was 10 miles southeast of Baku, and that it came on top of a 5.9 magnitude quake nearby.

A magnitude 6 quake can cause severe damage, especially in places like Azerbaijan where few buildings are reinforced against strong shocks.

Azerbaijan lies in an area of frequent seismic activity. It was hit before dawn Saturday with another quake of magnitude 4 centered about 30 miles south of Baku, but no casualties or damages were reported.

Neighboring Armenia suffered a devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake in December 1988 that killed 25,000 people and destroyed more than 345 villages and towns in the then-Soviet republic.