Magnitude 5.2 earthquake rocks Iran’s west, no casualties

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s seismology centre says a magnitude 5.2 earthquake has rocked the country’s west on the Iran-Iraq border.

The Monday report says the quake hit near the town of Sumar in Kermanshah province, some 690 kilometres (430 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran.

Iranian media reported no deaths or injuries in the sparsely populated area.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was centred 31 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of the Iraqi town of Mandali, at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles).

Two more aftershocks hit in less than an hour, which the USGS says were magnitude 4.9 and 4.4.

In November, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck a nearby area, injuring over 500 people.

Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake per day on average.