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Magnitude 4.9 quake hits Iran's western Kermanshah Province, no casualties reported

Friday, 12 February 2021 6:40 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 12 February 2021 7:43 AM ]

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale has hit Iran's western province of Kermanshah.

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale has struck Iran's western province of Kermanshah near the border with Iraq.

According to the seismological center of Tehran University’s Institute of Geophysics, the tremor hit at 1:40 a.m. local time on Friday (2210 GMT Thursday), and rattled an area close to Qasr-e Shirin city.

The tremor was documented to have struck at a shallow depth of eight kilometers.

“According to the reports received from governors of the province and the Red Crescent Society, fortunately, the earthquake in Qasr-e Shirin this morning did not cause any loss of life or property,” General director of the provincial crisis management department, Jalil Balaei, told IRNA.

He added that housing units in the western flank of Kermanshah Province have been well reconstructed following the devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake that occurred on November 12, 2017, emphasizing that the latest tremor did not cause any damage to them.

Balaei said the quake was so strong that was felt in most western cities of Kermanshah Province, particularly in Qasr-e Shirin and Sarpol-e Zahab.

Iran experiences frequent seismic activity as it sits where two major tectonic plates meet.

In November 2017, Kermanshah Province was hit by a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake, which killed hundreds of people.

A year later, over 550 people were injured in a strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake that shook the same Iranian province once again.

In 2003, more than 26,000 people lost their lives following a major quake that decimated the ancient city of Bam in eastern Iran. In 1990, a 7.4-magnitude quake in northern Iran killed thousands of people.

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