Earthquake jolts Iran's Gilangharb city

Tehran, Jan 6 (IANS) At least 31 people were injured in a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Gilangharb city in Kermanshah province in the west of Iran on Sunday, Iran Emergency Organization was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. Assessment teams of Iran's Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the site of earthquake to study the damage, Kourosh Mahmoudian, the governor of Gilangharb, told Tasnim. Some residential buildings and cattle farms have been damaged and rockfall has blocked the roads in the area, Mahmoudian said, Xinhua reported. The quake has also affected the quality of drinking water in Gilangharb, he said. However, he assured the local people of the sufficient quality drinking water reserves. According to Iran's Seismological Center, the epicenter of earthquake was monitored at 34.16 degrees north latitude and 45.66 degrees east longitude, with a depth of 10 km. At least 15 aftershocks, ranging from 3.0 to 4.8 magnitude, have shaken the region so far, according to the center. The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Lorestan province as well as in Iraq. In November 2017, 211 Iranians died in a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the Iranian-Iraqi border in Sar pol Zahab area.
--IANS prs