Magnitude 5.6 earthquake in northwest leaves 80 injured

March 24, 2023 - 11:41

TEHRAN – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit the northwestern city of Khoy on Friday morning, leaving 80 injured so far.

The quake occurred at 06:47 a.m. local time at a depth of 8 kilometers, according to the Seismological Center of the Geophysics Institute of the University of Tehran.

“Fortunately, we have not had any fatalities so far and only some people were injured due to falling debris, IRNA quoted Pir-Hossein Kolivand, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, as saying.

In villages around the city, only one house has been destroyed, he said, adding that cracks on the walls are more noticeable.

On January 29, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 hit Khoy and surrounding areas, leading to the death of at least 3 people and the wounding of hundreds of others.

The quake happened at 09:44 p.m. local time at a depth of seven kilometers.

The quake happened after a tremor measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit the region on January 19.

MG