5.9 magnitude earthquake in Kermanshah leaves more than 70 injured
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook Kermanshah province on Sunday evening, January 6. The quake was also felt in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
The earthquake occurred at 5:11 p.m., 24 kilometers from western Gilan, at a depth of 10 kilometers. According to the latest reports, the earthquake has left at least 75 injured.
Jalil Bali, Director General of Crisis Management for Kermanshah Province, said, "Due to the numerous aftershocks, all schools in this city will be closed on Monday, January 7, in two shifts, morning and afternoon, except for the final exam."
According to the Iranian Radio and Television Agency, the earthquake was also felt in Kohdasht, Lorestan Province.
Shahin Fathi, deputy director of relief and rescue operations for the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told ISNA that Red Crescent assessment teams have been dispatched to the earthquake-stricken areas.
In this regard, Houshang Bazoband, the governor of Kermanshah, announced the dispatch of 11 assessment teams following the West Gilan earthquake and said: "This earthquake did not cause any casualties."
Meanwhile, Tasnim News Agency reported that seven strong aftershocks occurred in the region after this earthquake.
Behnam Saeedi, spokesperson for the country's Disaster Management Organization, announced that the epicenter of the earthquake is an uninhabited place and so far there are no reports of water and electricity facilities in the villages surrounding the epicenter.
According to Governor Somar, cracks in some houses and landslides have been reported in some areas.
The earthquake occurred 31 kilometers from Somar and 38 kilometers from Sar-e-Pul-e-Zahab.
Meanwhile, according to IRNA news agency, a relatively strong earthquake shook the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
The Kurdish network Rudaw also reported that the earthquake was felt in Erbil and other cities in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
Last year, an earthquake struck Kermanshah, which, according to official statistics, left 620 dead and more than 8,000 injured.
In December of this year, 729 people were injured in an earthquake in Sar-e-Pul-e-Zahab, and the earthquake resulted in the deaths of two people in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
Iran is located on an earthquake belt, and in one of the worst earthquakes that occurred in Bam in 2003, more than 26,000 people lost their lives.
Source: Radio Farda
