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Magnitude 5.8 quake hits northwestern Iran

November 8, 2019 at 1:15 am

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, but Iranian state TV said there were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties, Reuters reports.

The quake struck at 2:17 a.m. (2247 GMT) and Iran’s IRNA news agency said the tremor was relatively strong and caused many people to run out of their homes in panic in the middle of the night.

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“So far there have been no reports of damages or casualties,” Iranian state TV said, adding the quake was felt in several towns and cities.

The epicentre of the quake initially reported as a magnitude 6.0 by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), was located 83 km (52 miles) southwest of Ardabil at a shallow depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the USGS said.

EMSC said the quake was felt by some 20 million people.