Magnitude 5.9 Quake Kills Three, Injures Hundreds in Iran

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 hit northwest Iran near the border with Turkey on Saturday, killing at least three people and injuring over 800.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA cited the Iranian Seismological Center that the quake struck the city of Khoy in West Azarbaijan province.

Mehr news agency reported that 70 villages had been damaged adding that relief operations are underway.

Damage was reported to buildings and some of the infrastructure in the area with some neighborhoods experiencing power blackouts too.

The city had experienced several smaller butconsiderable quakes in the past months with no casualties or significant damage.

Videos shared on social media show heavy traffic in the streets of the city late Saturday as residents abandoned their homes. Many have also been stationed in temporary tents amid freezing temperatures.

Iran is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines and is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it is located where the Arabian, Indian, and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

Iran has had a terrible history of massive earthquakes in recent decades, with some killing up to tens of thousands of people and causing billions in damages, such as the magnitude 6.6 quake in Kerman province in 2003 that killed 31,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam.