As Iran votes, 4.1 magnitude earthquake hits northern region

TEHRAN, Iran – A 4.1 magnitude earthquake has struck a mountainous area of northern Iran as the country holds a presidential election.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Friday’s temblor, which struck near its border with Turkmenistan, had any effect on voting in the polling in that area. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The Iranian Seismological Center described the earthquake as having a magnitude of 4.1, with a depth of 12 kilometres, or 7.5 miles. It says the temblor struck near the city of Bojnord in Iran’s Northern Khorasan province.

On Saturday, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake in the same province killed three people and injured about 200.

Iran experiences frequent earthquakes. In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude-6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.