Magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattles northeastern Iran

TEHRAN, Iran

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake rocked northeastern Iran's South Khorasan province on Saturday, according to local officials, with ripples felt in adjoining provinces.

The epicenter of the quake, reported at around 16:54 p.m. local time (1326 GMT), was three kilometers (1.86 miles) from the city of Boshraviyeh, according to the Institute of Geophysics at Tehran University

The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 8 km, it added, because of which it was felt more strongly and widely.

The ripples of the quake were also felt in adjoining cities, including Ferdous, Tabas and Akhoundi, local officials in South Khorasan said, adding that rescue teams had been dispatched to the affected areas.

Damage to properties has been reported in some worst-affected areas amid inclement weather conditions, although the extent of damage is still being assessed.

The province was hit by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake earlier this month, which occurred at the depth of 11 km with an epicenter in the Ersk region, 23 km from Boshraviyeh city.

Local crisis management officials said Saturday’s quake was a "big aftershock" that probably might have resulted in damage to structures that developed cracks in the previous earthquake.

However, so far, there has been no report about the loss of lives from the quake.

Iran is located in a seismically active zone and has seen many catastrophic earthquakes in the past years.

The most devastating quake to hit the country in recent history came in 2013 with a 6.7 magnitude when at least 34,000 people died in the city of Bam in southeastern Kerman province.

In recent months, a string of medium and high-intensity earthquakes have been reported in several northern and southern provinces, leaving casualties and collateral damage.

More recently, in early October, around 400 people were injured after a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck Iran's northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.

In July, at least five people were killed and more than 80 injured when a 6.1 magnitude quake hit the southern province of Hormozgan along the coast of the Persian Gulf.

It came a week after a 5.6 magnitude quake struck the same province, although no casualties were reported at the time.