Over 1,100 people have been injured from a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Iran's northwestern province of West Azerbaijan in the early hours of Wednesday, according to a health official.
Speaking to Iranian state television, Health Ministry spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said 1,127 people were injured in the earthquake.
Over 500 Injured As 5.4-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Iran https://t.co/9apfT7uN1Q pic.twitter.com/wK76xKhB86
— NDTV News feed (@ndtvfeed) October 5, 2022
The powerful quake shook the city of Khoy, located 807 kilometers (501 miles) northwest of the capital Tehran.
According to the Iranian Seismological Center at the University of Tehran, the quake occurred at 3.51 a.m. local time (0021GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) followed by more than 30 aftershocks with a magnitude of less than 4.
Many of those injured have been admitted to local hospitals in the province, said Khaledi.
Iran is located in a seismically active zone and has seen many catastrophic earthquakes in the past years.
#Iran News in Brief
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 5, 2022
Today, October 5, a 5.4 magnitude #earthquake shook Khoy and Salmas, West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran. So far, more than 500 residential houses were reportedly damaged and 528 citizens were injured.https://t.co/xbBdsdUrQS pic.twitter.com/TmXm5awM3i
The most devastating quake to hit the country in recent history came in 2013, when at least 34,000 people died in the city of Bam in southeastern Kerman province. The quake measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.
It came a week after an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 struck the same province, although no casualties or major damage was reported at the time.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
