Two dead and hundreds injured as huge 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits country
At least three people have been killed and more than 800 injured after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Iran last night.
The quake hit the city of Khoy, West Azerbaijan province at roughly 9.44pm local time, according to media reports.
In an update, the governor of West Azarbaijan confirmed the number of fatalities had risen from two to three, with 816 injured.
A total of 70 villages were affected, reported the Mehr news agency, with many buildings damaged in rural areas.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported: "The tremor was so strong that it was felt in many regions of West Azerbaijan Province, causing concern among residents.
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The damage after an earthquake struck the city of Khoy (ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)"It was also felt in several cities, including the provincial capital of Tabriz in the neighboring province of East Azerbaijan."
The quake was registered as 5.9 magnitude by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
It tweeted: "Notable quake, preliminary info: M 5.9 - 7 km SW of Khowy, Iran".
A destroyed car on a street after the earthquake (ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)It comes nearly two weeks after an earthquake struck the same city, around 40km away from the Turkish border, leaving more than 120 injured.
Officials previously reported a 5.4-magnitude quake that left 200 homes wrecked.
The director of West Azerbaijan Red Crescent said at the time: "The earthquake of magnitude 5.4 in the vicinity of Khoi has injured 120 people so far.
The interior of a house after an earthquake in the city of Khoy, Iran (IRANIAN RED CRESCENT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)"The evaluation of Red Crescent aid groups continues."
It is also the third earthquake to hit Iran so far this year, after a 4.5 magnitude tremor hit the city of Juybar in the Mazandaran province.
Back in July last year, at least five people were killed in a series of massive earthquakes that struck a region in southern Iran.
People take shelter inside a building after the earthquake (ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)The earthquake was felt in many neighboring countries at the time, a report said.
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In November 2021, one man died following two magnitude 6.4 and 6.3 earthquakes.
And in 2019, another shudder stuck close to a nuclear plant in Iran, with initial fears raised of it causing "considerable damage".
People gather around a fire to stay warm after an earthquake struck the city of Khoy (ISNA/AFP via Getty Images)Iran lies on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average.
In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.
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