Earthquake hits in central Oklahoma

Earthquake hits in central Oklahoma

PRAGUE, Okla.

A small earthquake hit central Oklahoma just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 3.7-magnitude quake about 3:11 p.m. Thursday near Prague, Okla. The epicenter of the quake was 17 miles northeast of Shawnee and 44 miles east of Oklahoma City.

There weren’t any reports of damage or injuries, said Jessica Elder, a 911 dispatcher in surrounding Lincoln County. She said she felt the quake, which she described as more of a boom than a rumble.

Geologists say earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 to 3.0 are generally the smallest felt by humans.

3 men, 3 children killed in plane crash

PHOENIX

A small airplane slammed into a sheer cliff in the mile-high mountains east of Phoenix and exploded, killing the six people onboard, including the pilot and his three young children who were to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with him, authorities said.

The body of one child was recovered, and dozens of sheriff’s search-and-rescue personnel worked Thursday to recover the remains of the other victims, said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

A search-and-rescue team was in the rugged Superstitions Mountains searching for three missing teenagers Wednesday evening and saw the explosion as the twin-engine plane hit the cliff, Babeu said. The searchers found the teens, then went up the mountain to try to reach the crash site.

Ten deputies who spent the night on the mountain were relieved by 10 more early Thursday. They and dozens of volunteers began searching the crash site at first light. Video from news helicopters Thursday morning showed the wreckage strewn at the bottom of a blackened cliff.

Iranian official: 12 CIA agents arrested

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran has arrested 12 agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported, quoting an influential lawmaker.

Parviz Sorouri, a member of the powerful parliamentary committee on foreign policy and national security, said the alleged agents were operating in coordination with Israel’s Mossad and other regional agencies, targeting the country’s military and its nuclear program.

“The U.S. and Zionist regime’s espionage apparatuses were trying to damage Iran both from inside and outside with a heavy blow, using regional intelligence services,” Sorouri was quoted as saying.

“Fortunately, with swift reaction by the Iranian intelligence department, the actions failed to bear fruit,” Sorouri said.

Threat against Syria

BEIRUT

An Arab League committee on Thursday gave Syria 24 hours to agree to allow an observer mission into the country, or it could face sanctions that include stopping financial dealings and freezing assets.

The bloodshed in the country continued, with activists reporting at least 15 people killed, including civilians and security forces.

Thursday’s threat was a humiliating blow to Damascus, a founding member of the Arab League. It comes as international pressure mounts on President Bashar Assad to stop the brutal crackdown on an uprising against his regime. The U.N. says at least 3,500 have been killed since mid-March.

Syria is the scene of the bloodiest crackdown against the Arab Spring’s eruption of protests.

Associated Press