Magnitude 5.7 Quake Hits Southwest Iran


Magnitude 5.7 Quake Hits Southwest Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale hit an area in Iran’s southwestern province of Khuzestan on Monday but there are no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

According to the Seismological Center of the Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, the quake struck an area near Masjed Soleyman in Khuzestan at 11:30 a.m. (local time) on Monday.

The epicenter, with a depth of 17 km, was determined to be at 31.95 degrees of north latitude and 49.50 degrees of east longitude.

Data from the seismological center showed the location of the quake at 19 km from Masjed Soleyman and 29 km from Qaleh-ye Khvajeh.

There have been no reports of casualties yet. 

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

On November 12, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people according to the latest toll.

The deadliest quake in Iran's modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.

Bam in the country’s southeastern province of Kerman witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000 people.

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