ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An earthquake measuring 6.1 magnitude on the Richter scale has struck the southeastern province of Kerman Friday morning, no fatalities have been reported.
At least 122 houses have been damaged, BBC Persian citing local sources reported.
Local media reported 52 people have received minor injuries.
Kerman Governor Aliriza Husseini told the state media that the quake damaged agricultural infrastructure, and some old buildings.
Local media reported some roads were blocked when the quake hit the areas at 6:02 am, followed by less powerful aftershocks.
More than a dozen villages have been affected.
President Hassan Rouhani has ordered the interior minister to respond to the Friday quake.
The country’s crisis management in Kerman and Iran’s Red Cross have deployed several teams accompanied by dog rescuers.
Many people left their homes camping on the streets, mainly fearing aftershocks.
This comes nearly two weeks after a 7.3 magnitude quake hit northern parts of the country, Kermanshah province near the border with the Kurdistan Region that killed more than 500 people, the deadliest in the world in 2017.
Iran is no stranger to earthquakes. A quake in 2003 that struck Bam of the Kerman province with a magnitude of 6.6 killed at least 26,000 people.
Iran has been preparing for an earthquake in the capital Tehran for years whose impact could be disastrous, with officials warning that it will endanger the country’s national security.
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