3 dead and 40 injured in Iran earthquake

Three people were killed and 40 injured in an earthquake that shook Semnan Province in Northern Iran last night.

Tehran seismological centre announced that the quake which had a magnitude of 5.9 struck Semnan at 11:53 pm and was followed by 14 aftershocks in Damqan region.

The aftershocks ranged in strength from 2.6 to 5.

Mehdi Zareh, deputy of the International Seismology Research told ISNA that more aftershocks are expected in the region. He added that last night’s quake was felt in Semnan, Tehran, Mazandaran and Central Provinces.

Iranian media have reported that the epicentre of this earthquake was 76 kilometres from Damqan, 98 kilometres from Semnan and 278 kilometres from Tehran.

Semnan emergency chief reported that two girls, four and two, as well as an elderly woman were killed in yesterday’s quake.

Criss-crossed by fault lines, Iran is prone to experiencing earthquakes such as the Bam earthquake in 2003 that left over 27,000 people dead.