Strong Quake in SE Iran Leaves No Casualties: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale hitting Iran’s southeastern province of Kerman has left no damage or casualties, a local official said.
Speaking to Tasnim, Malek Ajdari, the governor of Ravar, Kerman Province, said the strong earthquake hit an area near the city at 4:03 a.m. (local time) on Monday.
He added that the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers and at 31.26 degrees of latitude and 44.59 degrees of longitude.
He further said that according to preliminary assessments, the earthquake has caused no damages to life or property so far.
On Sunday, another strong earthquake struck Iran’s northwestern province of West Azerbaijan, injuring 75 people and causing homes to collapse.
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, 2017, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3-magnitude quake that killed 620 people.
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.