5.9 magnitude earthquake injures 132 in Iran’s Kermanshah
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Kermanshah province in Iranian Kurdistan on Sunday, injuring at least 132, according to local media. There are no reports of fatalities in the area, which is still recovering from a massive quake last November. Several buildings have suffered damage, especially in rural areas.
“The epicenter of this earthquake was Taze Abad city in Kermanshah province,” the governor of Kermanshah province, Houshang Bazvand, told Tasnim news agency. “Emergency teams have been sent to all areas.”
Hilal Ahmar of Iran’s Red Crescent Society said the number of casualties has climbed 132 – 80 in Taze Abad city, 12 in Sar Pole Zahab, and the rest in areas near Salas Babajani city, Fars news agency reports.
The earthquake stuck an area in the western Iranian province on Sunday afternoon. AFP reports two earlier quakes also struck a remote region near the town of Lar in the southern Hormozgan province, according to the US Geological Survey.
Provinces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq also felt tremors.
Videos published on social media show frightened people running out of buildings.
“The earthquake caused some roads be closed especially in rural areas, but they re-opened an hour later. The condition now is stable and under control,” Bazvand added.
Morteza Salimi, also of Iran’s Red Crescent, told IRNA that damage from the two earlier quakes appeared to be light.
“Reports indicate that some walls have collapsed, but extensive damage has not been reported,” he said.
On November 12, 2017, a massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck areas around the Iraq-Iran border, leaving 620 people dead and another 12,000 injured on the Iranian side alone. The city of Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah suffered the highest numbers of casualties with many houses destroyed.
Ten cities and 1,930 villages were affected across the province. The poor quality low-income housing in the Kurdish majority areas is being blamed for the high death toll.