13 Injured in Strong Quake in NW Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale hit an area in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan on Monday, leaving at least 13 people injured.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Vahid Shadinia, the spokesman for the Medical Emergency Center of East Azarbaijan, said according to the latest received reports, 13 people have been injured in the Eyvaq village in the province’s Sharabian rural district as a result of the quake.
He also said during the rescue operations in the district, a newborn baby was pulled out of the rubble alive and transferred to a hospital for treatment of injuries.
The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 4.9, occurred at 3:44 am local time.
The epicenter, with a depth of 6 km, was determined to be at 37.87 degrees of latitude and 47.08 degrees of longitude.
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.
