Quake Jolts Western Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck Iran’s western city of Tazeabad in Kermanshah province Sunday morning, causing panic and power failure.
The earthquake that rocked the province at 2:43 am local time was felt by many people in western Iran, and even in Iraq’s eastern city of Sulaymaniyah.
The temblor has left people in the city of Salas-e Babajani without power and running water, while many spent the night in the streets and parks.
There has been no report of damages or casualties as of Sunday morning.
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.
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.
