Injuries Reported As ۵.۶ Earthquake Shakes Southwestern Iran

Injuries Reported As ۵.۶ Earthquake Shakes Southwestern Iran

Report by RFE/RL; photos by ISNA

An earthquake with a magnitude of ۵.۶ shook southwest Iran near the town of Sisakht late on February 17, with at least ۴۰ people injured, Iranian media reported. Iranian state TV quoted an official in the region as saying, "People in Sisakht and the town of Yasuj left their homes in panic. Water and electricity have been cut off in Sisakht."

"Rescue teams and ambulances have been dispatched to the area. So far, ۱۰ people have been injured," the official added.

Sisakht, a farming area with a population of around 6,000 people, is about ۵۰۰ kilometers south of the capital, Tehran.

 

State news agency IRNA said the temblor struck at a depth of ۱۰ kilometers at around at ۱۰ p.m.

IRNA added that there were no immediate reports of fatalities, but the Fars news agency reported that at least two of the injured were in critical condition.

Regional officials also reported heavy rain in the region and said many people were suffering in extreme cold weather.

Iran sits on top of major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity.

"Injuries Reported As ۵.۶ Earthquake Shakes Southwestern Iran ۲/۱۸/۲۱ Report by RFE/RL; photos by ISNA An earthquake with a magnitude of ۵.۶ shook southwest Iran near the town of Sisakht late on February 17, with at least ۴۰ people injured, Iranian media reported"

A ۷.۳-magnitude quake in the western province of Kermanshah killed ۶۲۰ people in November ۲۰۱۷.

In 2003, a ۶.۶-magnitude quake destroyed the ancient mud-brick city of Bam in Iran's southeast, killing at least 31,000 people.

Iran's deadliest was a ۷.۴-magnitude quake in ۱۹۹۰ that killed 40,000 people, injured 300,000 others, and left half a million homeless in the country's north.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, IRNA, and AP