Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolts north-central Iran

ISTANBUL

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale on Friday evening struck Iran's north-central province of Semnan.

“At 21.19 p.m. (local time), Friday, June 20, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook the area around Sorkheh, a district in the Semnan Province,” reported Iranian news agency IRNA

The quake struck 17 kilometers (10.6 miles) from Sorkheh and 36 km (22.4 mi) from the city of Semnan, added the agency.

Earlier, the State-run Press TV reported that 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the north-central province, adding: "It was also felt in Tehran and Alborz."

No reports of possible damage from the earthquake have been released yet.

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 was 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.