Earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hits Western Iran, over 500 hurt
An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck western Iran near its border with Iraq yesterday night, injuring over 500 people and sending fearful residents running into the streets, said authorities. The temblor hit near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which was the epicenter of an earthquake last year that killed over 600 people, and where some still remain homeless. Here's more.
Most of the injuries minor, only a few hospitalized
Dr. Mahmoud Reza Moradi, head of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, told Iranian state television that 513 people were injured. Most of the injuries were minor. Kermanshah provincial Governor Houshang Bazvand echoed the same, saying there were injuries, but few were hospitalized. Authorities said six rescue teams were deployed after the quake stopped, and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding.
Earthquake struck after 8PM, damaged several buildings, power lines
Officials reported damage at buildings both in town and in rural Kermanshah, as well as to some roadways. The temblor also downed power lines and caused power outages into the night as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). The quake struck just after 8 pm in Iran, meaning most were still awake at the time and were able to quickly flee.
Earthquake had a depth of 10 kms: US Geological Survey
The 6.3 earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey whereas Iran state-TV gave the depth as 5 kilometers. Such shallow earthquakes have broader damage. The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Earthquake-prone Iran experienced 6.6 temblor in 2003 killing 26,000 people
Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people. Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab, a predominantly Kurdish town some 520 kilometers southwest of the Iranian capital of Tehran, had a magnitude of 7.3 and injured more than 9,000 people.
Sarpol-e Zahab suffered major damages in 2017 quake
Sarpol-e Zahab suffered half of the 2017 temblor's casualties. The region, nestled in the 1,600km long Zagros Mountains, largely rebuilt in recent decades after Iran and Iraq's ruinous 1980s war, saw many buildings collapse or sustain major damage in the 2017 quake.
