At least three people were killed and around 970 were injured after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook northwestern Iran on Saturday, according to preliminary reports. Officials said at least 10 aftershocks were felt after the quake.
The Iran Seismological Center at the University of Tehran’s Tehran University said late on Saturday the earthquake occurred near the city of Khoy in Iran’s northwestern West Azerbaijan province, which is close to the Turkish border.
According to press reports and statements by the governor of West Azerbaijan province, the earthquake caused serious damage to buildings belonging to public institutions and houses.
More than 261,000 people and about 78,000 families were affected by the earthquake, said Murtaza Moradipour, deputy for Red Crescent operations.
The Red Crescent Society has declared a state of red alert in the province.
“Evacuation spaces have been considered for emergency accommodation of people affected by the earthquake. In addition, there is a possibility of setting up a field hospital due to overcrowding in hospitals,” said Mohammad Hassan Nami, head of Iran’s Crisis Management Organization.
The Red Crescent Society sent two aircraft to the area to aid in rescue operations, searching for people and assisting survivors with tents, blankets and food.
Two weeks ago, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the Khoy region, injuring 120 people and damaging about 200 homes.
Iran has great seismic activity and many earthquakes have been recorded.
The most severe to date in Iran occurred in December 2003, when 31,000 people lost their lives, and in June 1990, when the death toll reached 37,000.
In November 2017, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the northwestern province of Kermanshah, killing 620 people and injuring over 12,000. cubedebate
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