Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits western Iran, over 50 injured

Tehran Jan 7 (IANS) At least 51 people have been injured by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah which had previously been struck by a deadly earthquake in late 2017 local authorities said on Sunday.

The Director General of Kermanshah s crisis management office Reza Mahmoudian said 42 people were injured in the city of Sarpol-e Zahab with another nine wounded in the city of Gilan-e Gharb. No fatalities had been reported yet Efe news agency reported.

"Rescue and relief teams were immediately radioed to be on-site " the state-run IRNA cited Mahmoudian as saying.

Sarpol-e Zahab was the same city in which 559 people lost their lives in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake that hit the province on November 12 2017.

Some of the buildings damaged by last year s earthquake were totally destroyed on Saturday Mahmoudian added.

Saturday s earthquake occurred at 3.25 p.m. with the epicentre located seven km from Sarpol-e Zahab at a depth of eight km according to Iran s Seismological Centre.

Casualties from November s earthquake totalled 620 killed and thousands wounded with numerous aftershocks continuing for days after the initial seismic activity.

--IANS
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