ISTANBUL

An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale struck Kerman province in southeastern Iran on Monday afternoon.

The earthquake hit Hojedk, a district in Ravar County of Kerman, the state news agency IRNA reported.

According to the Seismological Center of the University of Tehran, the quake occurred at a depth of 8 kilometers (5 miles) at 14:47 local time (1117GMT).

No details were provided about injuries or damage from the quake, which was felt in parts of Kerman city as well.

Iran is located in a seismically active region and has experienced many devastating earthquakes in recent years.

The most catastrophic earthquake in the country's recent history occurred in 2013 when at least 34,000 people died in the city of Bam, located in the southeastern Kerman province. That earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7.

In July 2022, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the southern province of Hormozgan, along the coast of the Persian Gulf, killing at least five people and injuring more than 80.