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4.9-magnitude quake injures 13 in northwest Iran

Monday, 28 August 2017 7:11 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 28 August 2017 8:55 AM ]

Picture shows the aftermath of an earthquake in the city of Sharabian in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province on August 28, 2017. (Photo by IRNA)

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on Richter scale has jolted a northwestern Iran city, lightly injuring 13 people.

The temblor shook the city of Sharabian of Sarab County in East Azerbaijan Province at 3:45 a.m. local time on Monday (2315 GMT on Sunday) at a depth of six kilometers.

The epicenter was located one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the city, which itself lies 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from the provincial capital of Tabriz.

Khalil Sa’ei, the director general of the province’s Crisis Management Directorate, said, “Luckily, no one died in the quake in Sharabian City. Only eight people suffered injuries, who received treatment as outpatients,” IRNA reported.

It was followed by 19 aftershocks within five hours.

A relief worker assesses the damage inflicted on a house from earthquake in the city of Sharabian in the northwestern Iran East Azerbaijan Province on August 28, 2017. (Photo by IRNA)

The quake inflicted some damage on the residences in the city, the extent of which is being examined, the official said.

As many as 20 residential structures suffered damages from the incident, Sarab’s Governor Davoud Garshasby said.

Back in 2012, two back-to-back quakes hit East Azerbaijan near the cities of Ahar and Varzaqan. The temblors, which struck eleven minutes apart, measured 6.4 and 6.3 on Richter scale. At least 306 people died, and more than 3,000 others suffered injuries in the natural disaster.

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