6.4-magnitude earthquake hits western Iran: Iran institute

Published November 26, 2018
An Iranian woman inspects a destroyed house in the eastern village of Shaj, some 100 kilometres outside the city of Birjand, on December 6, 2012, the day after an earthquake struck eastern Iran, near the Afghan border. —AFP/File
An Iranian woman inspects a destroyed house in the eastern village of Shaj, some 100 kilometres outside the city of Birjand, on December 6, 2012, the day after an earthquake struck eastern Iran, near the Afghan border. —AFP/File

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit Iran's western province of Kermanshah late Sunday, Iran's institute of geophysics said.

The epicentre of the quake was 17 kilometres southwest of the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, according to the institute, which said it struck at a depth of 7 kilometres.

At least 115 were injured in Sarpol-e Zahab and the neighbouring Gilan-e Gharb city where the quake was also felt, Kermanshah governor Houshang Bazvand told Fars news agency.

The region was rocked by seven weaker aftershocks an hour after the initial tremor, the strongest of which was magnitude 5.2, the geophysics institute said.

There were also reports that the quake was felt across the border in Iraq.

Morteza Salimi, an official with the red crescent society of Iran, told semi-official news agency ISNA that the quake rocked areas “just reconstructed” after a major tremor last year.

Kermanshah was hit by a devastating 7.3-magnitude quake last November which killed 620 people, mostly in Sarpol-e Zahab.

It left more than 12,000 people injured and damaged some 30,000 houses, with huge numbers made homeless at the start of the cold season in the mountainous region.

Local officials said the estimated cost of reconstruction would be measured in billions of dollars, at a time when Iran was struggling to cope with a tanking economy.

The western province was also hit by a 6.0-magnitude quake in August that killed two people and injured more than 250.

Iran sits on top of two major tectonic plates and sees frequent seismic activity.

The country's deadliest quake was in 1990, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in northern Iran that killed 40,000 people, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless, reducing dozens of towns and nearly 2,000 villages to rubble.

Opinion

Editorial

United stance
Updated 13 Nov, 2024

United stance

It would've been better if the OIC-Arab League summit had announced practical measures to punish Israel.
Unscheduled visit
13 Nov, 2024

Unscheduled visit

Unusual IMF visit shows the lender will closely watch implementation of programme goals to prevent it from derailing.
Bara’s businesswomen
13 Nov, 2024

Bara’s businesswomen

Bara’s brave women have proven that with the right support, societal barriers can be overcome.
System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....